Complementary approaches for the evaluation of biocompatibility of 90Y-labeled superparamagnetic citric acid (Fe,Er)3O4 coated nanoparticles

• The (Fe,Er)3O4/CA MNPs induce low toxicity both in human cell fibroblasts and in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos.
• 90Y-(Fe,Er)3O4 MNPs were obtained in high radiolabelling yield and exhibit high in vitro and in vivo stability.
• ICP-MS showed that MNPs do enter embryos, so particles are indeed in vivo non-toxic.
• Combined of radiotracer and ICP-MS methods greatly enhance the reliability of studies into the biodistribution of MNPs.
• The combination of the toxicology test and the ICP-MS technique is a reliable method for in vivo toxicological studies.

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are of immense interest for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in medicine. Design and development of new iron oxide-based MNPs for such applications is of rather limited breadth without reliable and sensitive methods to determine their levels in body tissues. Commonly used methods, such as ICP, are quite problematic, due to the inability to decipher the origin of the detected iron, i.e. whether it originates from the MNPs or endogenous from tissues and bodily fluids. One of the approaches to overcome this problem and to increase reliability of tracing MNPs is to partially substitute iron ions in the MNPs with Er. Here, we report on the development of citric acid coated (Fe,Er)3O4 nanoparticles and characterization of their physico-chemical and biological properties by utilization of various complementary approaches. The synthesized MNPs had a narrow (6–7 nm) size distribution, as consistently seen in atomic pair distribution function, transmission electron microscopy, and DC magnetization measurements. The particles were found to be superparamagnetic, with a pronounced maximum in measured zero-field cooled magnetization at around 90 K. Reduction in saturation magnetization due to incorporation of 1.7% Er3 + into the Fe3O4 matrix was clearly observed. From the biological standpoint, citric acid coated (Fe,Er)3O4 NPs were found to induce low toxicity both in human cell fibroblasts and in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos. Biodistribution pattern of the MNPs after intravenous administration in healthy Wistar rats was followed by the radiotracer method, revealing that 90Y-labeled MNPs were predominantly found in liver (75.33% ID), followed by lungs (16.70% ID) and spleen (2.83% ID). Quantitative agreement with these observations was obtained by ICP-MS elemental analysis using Er as the detected tracer. Based on the favorable physical, chemical and biological characteristics, citric acid coated (Fe,Er)3O4 MNPs could be further considered for the potential application as a diagnostic and/or therapeutic agent. This work also demonstrates that combined application of these techniques is a promising tool for studies of pharmacokinetics of the new MNPs in complex biological systems.

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