Preparation and characterization of albumin containing magnetic fluid as potential drug for amyloid diseases treatment

Aggregation Properties of Albumin in Interacting with Magnetic Fluids

In this study, interactions of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles with serum albumin biomolecules in aqueous solutions were considered. The studies were conducted with the laser correlation spectroscopy and optical analysis of dehydrated films. It was shown that the addition of magnetite to an albumin solution at low concentrations of up to 10-6 g/L led to the formation of aggregates with sizes of up to 300 nm in the liquid phase and an increase in the number of spiral structures in the dehydrated films, which indicated an increase in their stability. With a further increase in the magnetite concentration in the solution (from 10-4 g/L), the magnetic particles stuck together and to albumin, thus forming aggregates with sizes larger than 1000 nm. At the same time, the formation of morphological structures in molecular films was disturbed, and a characteristic decrease in their stability occurred. Most stable films were formed at low concentrations of magnetic nanoparticles (less than 10-4 g/L) when small albumin-magnetic nanoparticle aggregates were formed. These results are important for characterizing the interaction processes of biomolecules with magnetic nanoparticles and can be useful for predicting the stability of biomolecular films with the inclusion of magnetite particles.

A Multifunctional Graphene Oxide Platform for Targeting Cancer

Diagnosis of oncological diseases remains at the forefront of current medical research. Carbonic Anhydrase IX (CA IX) is a cell surface hypoxia-inducible enzyme functionally involved in adaptation to acidosis that is expressed in aggressive tumors; hence, it can be used as a tumor biomarker. Herein, we propose a nanoscale graphene oxide (GO) platform functionalized with magnetic nanoparticles and a monoclonal antibody specific to the CA IX marker. The GO platforms were prepared by a modified Hummers and Offeman method from exfoliated graphite after several centrifugation and ultrasonication cycles. The magnetic nanoparticles were prepared by a chemical precipitation method and subsequently modified. Basic characterization of GO, such as the degree of oxidation, nanoparticle size and exfoliation, were determined by physical and chemical analysis, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). In addition, the size and properties of the poly-L-lysine-modified magnetic nanoparticles were characterized. The antibody specific to CA IX was linked via an amidic bond to the poly-L-lysine modified magnetic nanoparticles, which were conjugated to GO platform again via an amidic bond. The prepared GO-based platform with magnetic nanoparticles combined with a biosensing antibody element was used for a hypoxic cancer cell targeting study based on immunofluorescence.

Defragmentation of lysozyme derived Amyloid β fibril using Biocompatible Magnetic fluid

We present here a modulating effect on lysozyme derived Amyloid β fibrils by aqueous magnetic fluid. This non-conventional approach of treatment of lysozyme derived Amyloid β fibrils showed lysing of Amyloid fibrils to its secondary structures which can be seen using optical microscope and scanning electron microscopic image. The size of lysozyme derived amyloid fibrils before and after treatment was measured using dynamic light scattering technique. The mechanism of defragmentation of lysozyme derived Amyloid β fibrils by magnetic fluid is explained. This is a first report to identify the secondary structure of protein using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Circular Dichroism (CD) spectra after lysing. The cyto-toxicity study of this magnetic fluid on neuronal (SH-SY5Y) and non-neuronal (NRK) cell lines shows non-toxicity up to a concentration of 250 μg/mL. The study indicates a novel and unique complementary approach to treat the amyloidogenic brain diseases.

Degradation of BSA Coating on Magnetite Nanoparticles

Magnetic nanoparticles used in biomedicine have to be biocompatible what can be achieved by the modification of the magnetic particle surface with an appropriate biocompatible substance. In the work protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) was chosen to modify the surface of magnetite nanoparticles. BSA coated magnetite nanoparticles (MFBSA) with different feed weight ratios of BSA to the magnetite Fe3O4were prepared and thermally characterized using thermogravimetric analysis.