Issue in Honor of Prof. Lutz F. Tietze ARKIVOC 2007 (v) 79-90
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles functionalized with peptides by electrostatic interactions
Nicole Hildebrandt,a Dana Hermsdorf,b Ruth Signorell,b Stephan A. Schmitz,c and Ulf Diederichsena,*
aInstitut für Organische und Biomolekulare Chemie, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Tammannstr. 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany bDepartment of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, B. C., V6T 1Z1, Canada cHammersmith Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, Du Cane Rd, London, W12 OHS, UK E-mail: udieder@gwdg.de
Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Lutz F. Tietze on the occasion of his 65th birthday
Abstract
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles coated with dextran were functionalized with negatively charged functionalities in order to connect specific peptide labels by electrostatic interactions. Peptide binding on the nanoparticles was indicated by HR-TEM, an electrospray scanning mobility particle sizer, and fluorescence measurements.
Keywords: Electron microscopy, molecular recognition, nanoparticles, peptides, self-assembly
Introduction
Contrast agents provide an established tool in clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All contrast agents induce a decrease in the T1 and T2 relaxation times of surrounding water protons and thereby manipulate the signal intensity of the imaged tissue.1 While traditional contrast agents distribute rather non-specifically, molecular imaging probes have been developed that specifically label body tissue or cells.2 Furthermore, visualizing a single property of a pathological entity with one agent is generally insufficient to characterize it accurately in clinical MRI. Therefore, we aim at developing an imaging probe that permits study of several aspects of a pathological entity with only one intravenous injection. With respect to our interest in atherosclerosis, an angiogram would show the arteries. A specific ligand would bind the probe acute arterial thrombus which carries a high risk for stroke and heart attack. A second ligand
ISSN 1424-6376 Page 79 ©ARKAT
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