Fe <sub>3</sub> O <sub>4</sub> @ <i>Angelica sinensis</i> polysaccharide nanoparticles as an ultralow‐toxicity contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging
Kai Wang, Xiaoguang Xu, Yingli Ma, Chun-Rui Sheng, Lina Li, Liying Lu, Jian Wang, Yining Wang, Yong Jiang
Abstract
Abstract Although iron oxide (Fe 3 O 4 ) nanoparticles have broad application prospects as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent, their biocompatibility and biotoxicity still need to be improved. In this study, we prepared Fe 3 O 4 @ Angelica sinensis polysaccharide nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 @ASP NPs) with a 9 nm Fe 3 O 4 core and ASP as the coating material. The Fe 3 O 4 @ASP NPs are superparamagnetic, can be taken up by liver and spleen macrophages in the circulatory system in vivo, and are a good‐biocompatibility and low‐toxicity transverse relaxation time ( T 2 ) and T 2 ‐star ( T 2 *) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent for the liver. The cytotoxicity assessment using HeLa cells and the pathological tests in mice validate that Fe 3 O 4 @ASP NPs have low toxicity and good biocompatibility in vivo, which can be attributed to the ASP as a natural polysaccharide with good biocompatibility and its function of protecting the liver. Fe 3 O 4 @ASP NPs are a potential new MRI contrast agent with high signal intensity in vivo.