Fe₃O₄@<i>Astragalus</i> Polysaccharide Core–Shell Nanoparticles for Iron Deficiency Anemia Therapy and Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Vivo

Abstract

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common nutritional disease suffered by 1 billion people. To develop a new drug which avoids the side effects of traditional oral iron supplementation for IDA treatment, we have designed Fe₃O₄@ Astragalus polysaccharide core-shell nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@APS NPs) and demonstrated them to be an efficient therapeutic drug for IDA treatment in vivo. The Fe₃O₄@APS NPs have been successfully synthesized with good water solubility and stability, especially in imitated digestion. Cytotoxicity assessment in cells and pathological tests in mice justify their good biocompatibility and low toxicity. The IDA treatment in rats shows that they have efficient therapeutic effect, which is contributed to both the iron element supplement from Fe₃O₄ and the APS-stimulated hematopoietic cell generation. Moreover, the superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄@APS NPs are capable for use as a magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent. This study presents the possibility of nanocomposites involving purified natural products from Chinese herb medicine for biomedical applications.