Ultrasound Mediated Surface Engineering of Theranostic Magnetic Nanoparticles: An Effective One Pot Functionalization Process UsingMixed Polymers for siRNA Delivery
Nano sized materials have been studied for diverse clinical applications, partly because their size dependent physical properties and nanometer scale dimensions have important roles in biological systems. Synergistic combinations of differently nanostructured materials, such as polymer coated magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) strongly promoted various multifunctional nano medical platforms for simultaneous diagnosis and therapy in the rapidly emerging area of theranostics. In this context, magnetically responsive Ce cation doped maghemite (g Fe2O3) NPs form a useful NPs basis towards a new type of polycationic polymer/organic species grafted maghemite NPs for both drug delivery and imaging. The versatility of the Ce cation doped maghemite NPs fabrication process mediated by high power ultrasound (US) enables the development of a new one step time saving US driven variant fabrication of corresponding polymer/organic species grafted NPs. Thus, two types of organic polycationic species, a branched 25 kDa polyethylene imine (b PEI25) polymer and a generation 2 (G2) PAMAM (poly(amidoamine) dendrimer biopolymer, were simultaneously used during this US mediated NPs system fabrication to effectively deliver optimized small interfering RNA (siRNA) applications as a proof of concept. This unique one step fabrication protocol affords a positively charged magnetic core grafted with mixed organic species nanocomposite particles that enables both gene silencing therapy and magnetic resonance imaging.