Inulin-Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: A Theranostic Platform for Contrast-Enhanced MR Imaging of Acute Hepatic Failure

Abstract

The present study introduces a superparamagnetic nanocomposite, Fe-Si-In, as a T2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent with a core of iron oxide nanoparticles and a nonporous silica inner shell/carboxymethyl inulin outer shell. Due to its core/shell properties, the structure characterization, biocompatibility, and performance in MRI, as well as its potential as a drug delivery system, were thoroughly evaluated. The results have shown that the synthesized nanocomposite possesses excellent biocompatibility and acceptable magnetization (<i>M</i>_s = 20 emu g^-1). It also has the potential to be a nanocarrier for drug delivery purposes, as evidenced by the results of curcumin administration studies. The developed nanocomposite has shown excellent performance in MRI, while the <i>in vitro</i> relaxivity measurements reveal a stronger T2 relaxivity (<i>r</i>₂ = 223.2 ms) compared to the commercial samples available in the market. Furthermore, the <i>in vivo</i> MRI studies demonstrate an excellent contrast between injured livers and normal ones in rats which again upholds the high performance of Fe-Si-In in MRI diagnostics.