How size, shape and assembly of magnetic nanoparticles give rise to different hyperthermia scenarios.

The use of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to locally increase the temperature at the nanoscale under the remote application of alternating magnetic fields (magnetic particle hyperthermia, MHT) has become an important subject of nanomedicine multidisciplinary research, focusing among other topics on the optimization of the heating performance of MNPs and their assemblies under the effect of the magnetic field. We report experimental data of heat released by MNPs using a wide range of anisometric shapes and their assemblies in different media. We outline a basic theoretical investigation, which assists the interpretation of the experimental data, including the effect of the size, shape and assembly of MNPs on the MNPs' hysteresis loops and the maximum heat delivered. We report heat release data of anisometric MNPs, including nanodisks, spindles (elongated nanoparticles) and nanocubes, analysing, for a given shape, the size dependence. We study the MNPs either acting as individuals or assembled through a magnetic-field-assisted method. Thus, the physical geometrical arrangement of these anisometric particles, the magnetization switching and the heat release (by means of the determination of the specific adsorption rate, SAR values) under the application of AC fields have been analysed and compared in aqueous suspensions and after immobilization in agar matrix mimicking the tumour environment. The different nano-systems were analysed when dispersed at random or in assembled configurations. We report a systematic fall in the SAR for all anisometric MNPs randomly embedded in a viscous environment. However, certain anisometric shapes will have a less marked, an almost total preservation or even an increase in SAR when embedded in a viscous environment with certain orientation, in contrast to the measurements in water solution. Discrepancies between theoretical and experimental values reflect the complexity of the systems due to the interplay of different factors such as size, shape and nanoparticle assembly due to magnetic interactions. We demonstrate that magnetic assembly holds great potential for producing materials with high functional and structural diversity, as we transform our nanoscale building blocks (anisometric MNPs) into a material displaying enhanced SAR properties.

Identifying the presence of magnetite in an ensemble of iron-oxide nanoparticles: a comparative neutron diffraction study between bulk and nanoscale.

Scientific interest in iron-oxides and in particular magnetite has been renewed due to the broad scope of their fascinating properties, which are finding applications in electronics and biomedicine. Specifically, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are gathering attraction in biomedicine. Their cores are usually constituted by a mixture of maghemite and magnetite phases. In view of this, to fine-tune the properties of an ensemble of IONPs towards their applications, it is essential to enhance mass fabrication processes towards the production of monodisperse IONPs with controlled size, shape, and stoichiometry. We exploit the vacancy sensitivity of the Verwey transition to detect the presence of magnetite. Here we provide direct evidence for the Verwey transition in an ensemble of IONPs through neutron diffraction. This transition is observed as a variation in the Fe magnetic moment at octahedral sites and, in turn, gives rise to a change of the net magnetic moment. Finally, we show this variation as the microscopic ingredient driving the characteristic kink that hallmarks the Verwey transition in thermal variation of magnetization.

Unravelling the mechanisms that determine the uptake and metabolism of magnetic single and multicore nanoparticles in a Xenopus laevis model.

Multicore superparamagnetic nanoparticles have been proposed as ideal tools for some biomedical applications because of their high magnetic moment per particle, high specific surface area and long term colloidal stability. Through controlled aggregation and packing of magnetic cores it is possible to obtain not only single-core but also multicore and hollow spheres with internal voids. In this work, we compare toxicological properties of single and multicore nanoparticles. Both types of particles showed moderate in vitro toxicity (MTT assay) tested in Hep G2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma) and Caco-2 (human colorectal adenocarcinoma) cells. The influence of surface chemistry in their biological behavior was also studied after functionalization with O,O'-bis(2-aminoethyl) PEG (2000 Da). For the first time, these nanoparticles were evaluated in a Xenopus laevis model studying their whole organism toxicity and their impact upon iron metabolism. The degree of activation of the metabolic pathway depends on the size and surface charge of the nanoparticles which determine their uptake. The results also highlight the potential of Xenopus laevis model bridging the gap between in vitro cell-based assays and rodent models for toxicity assessment to develop effective nanoparticles for biomedical applications.