In Vivo Toxicity Studies of Chitosan-Coated Cobalt Ferrite Nanocomplex for Its Application as MRI Contrast Dye

• Published in: ACS applied bio materials 2020-11, Vol.3 (11), p.7952-7964
• Main Authors: Shakil, Md. Salman, Hasan, Md. Ashraful, Uddin, Md. Forhad, Islam, Aminul, Nahar, Arijun, Das, Harinarayan, Khan, Mohammed Nazrul Islam, Dey, Bishnu Pada, Rokeya, Begum, Hoque, S. Manjura
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2576-6422; 2576-6422
• DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.0c01069

Cobalt ferrite nanoparticle (CFN) has received attention in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a promising contrast agent due to its higher saturation magnetization and magneto-crystalline anisotropy. However, the in vitro cytotoxicity of CFN has raised concern for its biomedical application as a diagnostic agent. The coating of CFN by a biocompatible polymer such as chitosan (CH) might lessen the biocompatibility concern. Therefore, in this study, we examined the applicability of chitosan-coated cobalt ferrite nanoparticle (CCN) as an MRI contrast dye and investigated its biocompatibility in vivo. Phantom MRI images revealed that the relaxivity of CCN was 121 (±8) mM–1s–1, indicating the potential of CCN as a T 2-weighted contrast agent. A single intravenous (iv) administration of CCN (10 mg/kg) improved the contrast of magnetic-resonance-imaging-based angiography (MRA) and brain-MRI in male albino Wistar rats compared to the control. Furthermore, toxicity studies dependent on dose (1–20 mg/kg) and time (1–28 days) in male albino Wistar rats confirmed the in vivo biocompatibility of CCN. The physical, hematological, biochemical, and histopathological observation assured that a single iv injection of CCN up to 20 mg/kg was well adjusted with liver, kidney, heart, and brain functions. The findings of the current study consolidate CCN as a promising candidate for MRI contrast dye.