Polymer-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles as T 2 contrast agent for MRI and their uptake in liver.

Aim: To study the efficiency of multifunctional polymer-based superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (bioferrofluids) as a T2 magnetic resonance contrast agent and their uptake and toxicity in liver.

Materials & methods: Mice were intravenously injected with bioferrofluids and Endorem® . The magnetic resonance efficiency, uptake and in vivo toxicity were investigated by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histological techniques.

Results: Bioferrofluids are a good T2 contrast agent with a higher r2 /r1 ratio than Endorem. Bioferrofluids have a shorter blood circulation time and persist in liver for longer time period compared with Endorem. Both bioferrofluids and Endorem do not generate any noticeable histological lesions in liver over a period of 60 days post-injection.

Conclusion: Our bioferrofluids are powerful diagnostic tool without any observed toxicity over a period of 60 days post-injection.