Affiliations: Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, 70910‐900, Brasília‐DF, Brazil | Universidade Federal de Goiás, Instituto de Física, 74001‐970, Goiânia‐GO, Brazil | K.U. Leuven Campus Kortrijk, Interdisciplinary Research Center, E. Sabbelaan 53, B‐8500 Kortrijk, Belgium | Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Física, Núcleo de Física Aplicada, 70919‐970, Brasília‐DF, Brazil
Note: [] Corresponding author: Zulmira G.M. Lacava, Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Depto de Genética e Morfologia, 70910‐900, Brasília‐DF, Brazil. Tel./Fax: +55 61 307 2963; E‐mail: zulmira@unb.br.
Abstract: Magnetoliposomes (ML's) may be successfully applied for several purposes. A dimyristoylphosphatidyl‐choline‐based ML (ML‐2) sample was developed as a precursor of more complex thermal cancer therapy systems. The present study reports on morphology and magnetic resonance (MR) investigations carried out with the magnetite‐based ML‐2 sample. For the experiments, adult female Swiss mice were endovenously treated with a bolus dose of 100 μl of ML‐2. Morphology and room‐temperature MR studies (X‐band experiments) were performed in several organs collected from 1 hour to 28 days after ML administration. Histological data showed magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) clusters up to the 28th day in the liver and spleen tissues. In spite of the presence of MNP clusters, no morphological alterations were observed, supporting the biocompatibility of the ML‐2. MR signal was detected only in the liver and spleen tissues and showed that the MNP's concentration was not altered from 48 hours to 28 days after ML injection. Using MR data, important pharmacokinetic parameters, such as the effective clearance (half‐life) and peak concentration, were obtained for the liver and spleen.
Keywords: Biocompatibility, biodistribution, cancer, magnetic resonance, magnetoliposome, morphology
Journal: Spectroscopy, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 597-603, 2004
