<i>In Vivo</i> Toxicity Studies of Chitosan-Coated Cobalt Ferrite Nanocomplex for Its Application as MRI Contrast Dye
Md Salman Shakil, Md. Ashraful Hasan, Md. Forhad Uddin, Aminul Islam, A. Nahar, Harinarayan Das, M. N. I. Khan, Bishnu Pada Dey, Begum Rokeya, S. Manjura Hoque
Abstract
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 T2-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.