Radiolanthanide-loaded agglomerated Fe3O4 nanoparticles for possible use in the treatment of arthritis: formulation, characterization and evaluation in rats

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. B, Materials for biology and medicine Materials for biology and medicine, 2015-07, Vol.3 (27), p.5455-5466
• Main Authors: Chakraborty, Sudipta, Sharma, K. S, Rajeswari, A, Vimalnath, K. V, Sarma, H. D, Pandey, Usha, Jagannath, Ningthoujam, Raghumani Singh, Vatsa, Rajesh Kumar, Dash, Ashutosh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2050-750X; 2050-7518
• DOI: 10.1039/c5tb00677e

This investigation reports the preparation of agglomerated Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles and evaluation of its utility as a viable carrier in the preparation of radiolanthanides as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of arthritis. The material was synthesized by a chemical route and characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, EDX and TEM analysis. The surface of agglomerated particle possessed ion pairs (-O − :Na + ) after dispersing particles in a NaHCO 3 solution at pH = 7 which is conducive for radiolanthanide (*Ln = 90 Y, 153 Sm, 166 Ho, 169 Er, 177 Lu) loading by replacement of Na + ions with tripositive radiolanthanide ions. Radiolanthanide-loaded particulates exhibited excellent in vitro stability up to ∼3 half-lives of the respective lanthanide radionuclides when stored in normal saline at 37 °C. The radiochemical purities of the loaded particulates were found to be retained to the extent of >70% after 48 h of storage when challenged by a strong chelator DTPA present at a concentration as high as 5 mM, indicating fairly strong chemical association of lanthanides with agglomerated Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles. Biodistribution studies of 90 Y and 166 Ho-loaded particulates carried out after intra-articular injection into one of the knee joints of a normal Wistar rat revealed near-complete retention of the radioactive preparations (>98% of the administered radioactivity) within the joint cavity even after 72 h post injection. This was further confirmed by sequential whole-body radio-luminescence imaging. These experimental results are indicative of the potential use of radiolanthanide-loaded agglomerated Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles for the treatment of arthritis. We prepared agglomerated Fe 3 O 4 NPs, assessing their use as radiolanthanide carriers (potential therapeutic agents).