Cytocompatibility of pH-sensitive, chitosan-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles in gynecological cells

Taohong Zhang; Lisha Wang; Xinyi He; Hailin Lu; Li Gao

doi:10.3389/fmed.2022.799145

Cytocompatibility of pH-sensitive, chitosan-coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in gynecological cells

Front Med (Lausanne). 2022 Jul 22:9:799145. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.799145. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Taohong Zhang¹, Lisha Wang¹, Xinyi He¹, Hailin Lu², Li Gao¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
² College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an, China.

Abstract

Nanoparticles that contact human cells without damaging basic human tissues are becoming more widely used in medicine. Efficient delivery to the intracellular target cell or compartment through the cell membrane must be achieved with minimal cytotoxicity to healthy cells. Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles have been widely used in biomedical research for their magnetic, non-toxic, and biocompatible properties. However, the effects of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles coated with chitosan (CS) on gynecological cells are unclear. In this study, the Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were coated with CS to enhance their cytocompatibility and dispersion in water. These CS-Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were taken up by gynecological cells and did not affect cell viability in vitro. They have greater cytocompatibility in acidic environments than normal Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and have the potential for drug delivery into gynecological cells.

Keywords: chitosan-coated Fe3O4 (CS-Fe3O4) nanoparticles; cytocompatibility; gestational choriocarcinoma; gynecological cells; ovarian cancer.