Magnetic nanoparticles stabilized with organic acids as specific contrast agents for atherosclerosis diagnosis

M. GABRIELA MONTIEL SCHNEIDER; MARIELA A. AGOTEGARAY; VERÓNICA L. LASSALLE

Mar del Plata

Congreso; Reunión conjunta SAIC. SAI. SAFE. Nanomed-ar. AACyTAL; 2016

IntroductionAtherosclerosis and its vascular complications, are the main cause of death in the western world. Identification of vulnerable plaques which are prone to rupture, releasing thrombus into circulation is essential for a better care of patients presenting this pathology. Magnetic nanoparticlesare being employed as efficient tools to the earlier and selective detection of unstable plaques by Magnetic Resonance Imaging along the last years. ObjetiveDesign and characterize water dispersible iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles with suitable coatings in order to be efficiently employed in the detection of atherosclerotic plaques by MRI. The goal is to induce the accumulation of nanoparticles in macrophages, calcifying microvesicles presents in atherosclerotic plaques, according to previous reports. Design of experimentIron oxide magnetic nanoparticlescoated with tartaric, malic and ascorbic acid have been synthesized by the co-precipitation method with some modifications. ResultsAcid coated nanoparticles were obtained with hydrodynamic diameters ranged between 95-278 nm, depending on the kind of acid and synthesis conditions. All formulations showed good water stability for several days. TEM images revealed that magnetic cores were about 6-10 nm. FTIR spectra of already all NPs prepared, displayed the characteristic Fe-O bands associated to magnetic iron oxides. Despite all formulations are interesting for the proposal of the work, the use of ascorbic acid as coated is, perhaps, the most attractive because of its antioxidant properties which could be useful to prevent LDL oxidation. Besides, by changing the reaction conditions, dehydroascorbic acid was obtained as coating. This compound is very important in terms of its possibilities to penetrate the blood brain barrier. ConclusionsHighly hydrophilic magnetic nanoparticles coated with specific organic acids were obtained. They remain stable for several weeks and exhibit appropriate size for biological applications. In vitro biological assays are currently in development.