Polymer-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles as T(2) contrast agent for MRI and their uptake in liver

AIM: To study the efficiency of multifunctional polymer-based superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (bioferrofluids) as a T(2) magnetic resonance contrast agent and their uptake and toxicity in liver. MATERIALS & METHODS: Mice were intravenously injected with bioferrofluids and Endorem(®). The magnetic resonance efficiency, uptake and in vivo toxicity were investigated by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histological techniques. RESULTS: Bioferrofluids are a good T(2) contrast agent with a higher r(2)/r(1) ratio than Endorem. Bioferrofluids have a shorter blood circulation time and persist in liver for longer time period compared with Endorem. Both bioferrofluids and Endorem do not generate any noticeable histological lesions in liver over a period of 60 days post-injection. CONCLUSION: Our bioferrofluids are powerful diagnostic tool without any observed toxicity over a period of 60 days post-injection.