Evaluation of Ferrite Nanoparticles as a Tool for Pharmacological
Modulation of Angiogenesis
Aparna Deshmukh1, Amit More2, S. Radha3, Y. Khan4
Departments of Biotechnology1 and Physics2,
Thakur College of Science and Commerce, Thakur Village, Kandivli, Mumbai-400101
Departments of Physics3 and Life Sciences4
Sophia College for Women, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai-400 026.
Nanoparticles have attracted the attention of modern scientific researchers for
numerous reasons. One of the most important use of the nanoparticles being explored
today is targeted drug delivery of pharmacological agents especially in the conditions,
when the conventional therapies fail to reach. Modulation of angiogenesis is one such
novel application, where use of nanoparticles can prove to be an effective tool for
targeted drug delivery. Angiogenesis, the process through which new blood vessels are
formed and the branching and extension of existing capillaries occurs, is an important
natural process occurring in the body and is controlled by a balance between pro and
anti angiogenic factors. For example, delayed wound healing in Diabetes mellitus
demands the use of site-specific therapy with pro-angiogenic agents whereas cancer
therapeutics demands site-specific use of anti-angiogenic agents.
The present collaborative project was aimed at producing bioactive ferromagnetic
nanoparticles as a tool for targeted drug delivery system for precise therapeutic
modulation of angiogenesis.
The ferrite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation of di- and trivalent Fe ions by alkaline solutions (NH4OH / NaOH) and treating them under standard
hydrothermal conditions. The single phase nature of the samples was verified and the
particle size estimated to be in the range 10-20 nm by X-ray Diffraction measurements.
The superparamagnetic behavior of the ferrite nanoparticles was observed on a PC
based pulsed MH Loop Tracer up to fields of 5 kOe and also verified by M-H
measurements in fields up to 5 Tesla on a SQUID magnetometer.
The synthesized particles have been found to be biocompatible with lymphocytes and
glial cells in the preliminary viability studies. The viability of the human lymphocytes
isolated from healthy donors was assessed by the Trypan blue dye exclusion method
while the viability of the particles with glial cells was tested by the MTT assay. The chick
chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) was isolated from the shell of fertile White Leghorn
eggs. Haemoglobin estimation by Drabkin’s method was used to measure the extent of
angiogenesis in CAM.
The uncoated ferrite nanoparticles showed elevated angiogenesis in Chick
Chorioallantoic membrane model although more studies are required for statistical
significance compared to the untreated controls. This enhanced angiogenetic activity
could be attributed to the presence of Fe content in the nanoparticles.