A systematic study of transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity in HeLa cells using iron oxide nanoparticles prepared with organic and inorganic bases

• Published in: Colloids and surfaces, B, Biointerfaces B, Biointerfaces, 2012-12, Vol.100, p.177-184
• Main Authors: Calmon, Marilia Freitas, de Souza, Aryane Tofanello, Candido, Natalia Maria, Raposo, Maria Irene Bartolomeu, Taboga, Sebastião, Rahal, Paula, Nery, Jose G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ammonium Hydroxide; Cell Survival - drug effects; colloids; cytotoxicity; Drug Carriers - chemical synthesis; Drug Carriers - pharmacology; Ferric Compounds - chemistry; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; Fourier transforms; HeLa Cells; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Hydroxides; Hydroxides - chemistry; Infrared spectroscopy; Inorganic base; Iron oxide nanoparticles; Iron oxides; maghemite; Magnetite; Magnetite Nanoparticles - chemistry; Magnetite Nanoparticles - ultrastructure; medicine; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Nanoparticles; octane; Organic bases; Particle Size; Piperazines - chemistry; population; population dynamics; Potassium Compounds - chemistry; potassium hydroxide; scanning electron microscopes; Scanning electron microscopy; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Surface Properties; Toxicity; transfection; Transfection efficiency; Viability; X-Ray Diffraction
• ISSN: 0927-7765; 1873-4367
• DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2012.05.026

[Display omitted] ► Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) were prepared using NaOH, KOH and DABCO. ► MNPs were characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR and magnetization measurements. ► All the MNPs were incubated in HeLa cells and Prussian blue staining, apoptosis and MTT assays were performed. ► The highest labeling efficiency was observed in HeLa cells incubated with MNP-KOH. ► Cells incubated with MNP-KOH at 50 and 100μg/mL presented similar biocompatibility. Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (magnetite) (MNPs) were prepared using different organic and inorganic bases. Strong inorganic base (KOH) and organic bases (NH4OH and 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO)) were used in the syntheses of the MNPs. The MNPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and magnetization measurements. MNPs prepared with strong inorganic base yielded an average size of 100nm, whereas the average size of the MNPs prepared with the organic bases was 150nm. The main competitive phase for MNPs prepared with the strong inorganic and organic bases was maghemite; however, syntheses with KOH yielded a pure magnetite phase. The transfection study performed with the MNPs revealed that the highest transfection rate was obtained with the MNPs prepared with KOH (74%). The correlation between the magnetic parameters and the transfection ratio without transfection agents indicated that MNPs prepared with KOH were a better vector for possible applications of these MNPs in biomedicine. HeLa cells incubated with MNP-KOH at 10μg/mL for 24 and 48h exhibited a decrease in population in comparison with the control cells and it was presumably related to the toxicity of the MNPs. However, the cells incubated with MNP-KOH at 50 and 100μg/mL presented a very small difference in the viability between the cell populations studied at 24 and 48h. These data illustrate the viability of HeLa cells treated with MNP-KOH and suggest the potential use of these MNPs in biomedical applications.