The influence of transferrin stabilised magnetic nanoparticles on human dermal fibroblasts in culture

Berry, C.C. , Charles, S., Wells, S., Dalby, M.J. and Curtis, A.S.G. (2004) The influence of transferrin stabilised magnetic nanoparticles on human dermal fibroblasts in culture. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 269(1), pp. 211-225. (doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2003.09.042)

Abstract

Magnetic nanoparticles have been used for bio-medical purposes including drug delivery, cell destruction and as MRI contrast agents for several years. A more recent biological application has focused on targeted drug delivery. To this end, a wide variety of iron oxide nanoparticles have been synthesised. This study involves the use of magnetic nanoparticles synthesised and derivatised with human transferrin, compared to identical underivatised particles. Human fibroblasts were used, representative of a tissue cell-type. The influence in vitro was determined using light and fluorescence microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and 1718 gene microarray. The results indicate that the transferrin derivatised particles appear to localise to the cell membrane without instigating receptor-mediated endocytosis, and also induce up-regulation in the cells for many genes, particularly in the area of cytoskeleton and cell signalling. The microscopy results further support these findings.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: Magnetic nanoparticles, drug delivery, transferrin, cell response, microarray.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Curtis, Professor Adam and Berry, Dr Catherine and Dalby, Professor Matthew
• Authors: Berry, C.C., Charles, S., Wells, S., Dalby, M.J., and Curtis, A.S.G.
• Subjects: T Technology > TP Chemical technology
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Molecular Biosciences; University Centres > Glasgow Materials Research Initiative
• Journal Name: International Journal of Pharmaceutics
• ISSN: 0378-5173