Trastuzumab Conjugated PEG - Fe3O4@Au Nanoparticles as an MRI Biocompatible Targeted Nano-Contrast Agent: In-vitro and in-vivo Study

Authors

1 Tabriz University of Medical Sciences*

2 Tabriz University of Medical Sciences

10.22034/icrj.2023.179486

Abstract

Purpose: In this study, a novel targeted MRI contrast agent based on polyethylene glycol (PEG) anchored on the surface of magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4@Au) and then decorated with Trastuzumab (TZ) was developed.
Methods: The prepared system was fully characterized and relaxivity, cytotoxicity, colloidal stability, blood compatibility, in vitro cell targeting ability, cytotoxicity, and in vivo MR contrast enhancement were evaluated.
Results: Cytotoxicity assay indicated that Fe3O4@Au- PEG-TZ had perfect cytocompatibility after 24 h and 48 h against both of SKBr-3 cancerous and MCF 10A normal breast cell lines. In vitro MR imaging experiments illustrated negative signal in cells affirming that the Fe3O4@Au-PEG-TZ NPs enable targeted contrast T2-weighted MR imaging of SKBr-3 as over-expressing HER-2 receptor cells. Besides, the in vivo MRI images of tumor bearing BALB/c mice indicated high tumor uptake and ability of Fe3O4@Au-PEG-TZ NPs to create negative contrast effect.
Conclusion: Taken together, the developed Fe3O4@Au- PEG-TZ could be considered as an encouraging candidate for cancer diagnosis.