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    Targeted T1 Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Enhancement with Extraordinarily Small CoFe2O4 Nanoparticles
    (Washington, DC : American Chemical Society, 2019) Piché, Dominique; Tavernaro, Isabella; Fleddermann, Jana; Lozano, Juan G.; Varambhia, Aakash; Maguire, Mahon L.; Koch, Marcus; Ukai, Tomofumi; Hernández Rodríguez, Armando J.; Jones, Lewys; Dillon, Frank; Reyes Molina, Israel; Mitzutani, Mai; González Dalmau, Evelio R.; Maekawa, Toru; Nellist, Peter D.; Kraegeloh, Annette; Grobert, Nicole
    Extraordinarily small (2.4 nm) cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (ESCIoNs) were synthesized by a one-pot thermal decomposition approach to study their potential as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. Fine size control was achieved using oleylamine alone, and annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy revealed highly crystalline cubic spinel particles with atomic resolution. Ligand exchange with dimercaptosuccinic acid rendered the particles stable in physiological conditions with a hydrodynamic diameter of 12 nm. The particles displayed superparamagnetic properties and a low r2/r1 ratio suitable for a T1 contrast agent. The particles were functionalized with bile acid, which improved biocompatibility by significant reduction of reactive oxygen species generation and is a first step toward liver-targeted T1 MRI. Our study demonstrates the potential of ESCIoNs as T1 MRI contrast agents.
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    Silica nanoparticles for intracellular protein delivery: A novel synthesis approach using green fluorescent protein
    (London : BioMed Central, 2017) Schmidt, Sarah; Tavernaro, Isabella; Cavelius, Christian; Weber, Eva; Kümper, Alexander; Schmitz, Carmen; Fleddermann, Jana; Kraegeloh, Annette
    In this study, a novel approach for preparation of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-doped silica nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution is presented. GFP was chosen as a model protein due to its autofluorescence. Protein-doped nanoparticles have a high application potential in the field of intracellular protein delivery. In addition, fluorescently labelled particles can be used for bioimaging. The size of these protein-doped nanoparticles was adjusted from 15 to 35 nm using a multistep synthesis process, comprising the particle core synthesis followed by shell regrowth steps. GFP was selectively incorporated into the silica matrix of either the core or the shell or both by a one-pot reaction. The obtained nanoparticles were characterised by determination of particle size, hydrodynamic diameter, ζ-potential, fluorescence and quantum yield. The measurements showed that the fluorescence of GFP was maintained during particle synthesis. Cellular uptake experiments demonstrated that the GFP-doped nanoparticles can be used as stable and effective fluorescent probes. The study reveals the potential of the chosen approach for incorporation of functional biological macromolecules into silica nanoparticles, which opens novel application fields like intracellular protein delivery.