Ulanova, MarinaGloag, LucyBongers, AndreKim, Chul-KyuDuong, Hong Thien KimKim, Ha NaGooding, John JustinTilley, Richard D.Biazik, JoannaWen, WeiSachdev, Perminder S.Braidy, NadyKalyuzhny, Alexander E.2025-05-302025-05-30PubMed:37759500WOS:001120383600001ORCID:/0000-0001-7548-1521/work/172016335https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=anu_research_portal_plus2&SrcAuth=WosAPI&KeyUT=WOS:001120383600001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=WOS_CPLhttps://hdl.handle.net/1885/733755261Nanoparticle-based magnetic contrast agents have opened the potential for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to be used for early non-invasive diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Accumulation of amyloid pathology in the brain has shown association with cognitive decline and tauopathy; hence, it is an effective biomarker for the early detection of AD. The aim of this study was to develop a biocompatible magnetic nanoparticle targeted to amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques to increase the sensitivity of T2-weighted MRI for imaging of amyloid pathology in AD. We presented novel iron core-iron oxide nanoparticles stabilized with a dimercaptosuccinic acid coating and functionalized with an anti-Aβ antibody. Nanoparticle biocompatibility and cellular internalization were evaluated in vitro in U-251 glioblastoma cells using cellular assays, proteomics, and transmission electron microscopy. Iron nanoparticles demonstrated no significant in vitro cytotoxicity, and electron microscopy results showed their movement through the endocytic cycle within the cell over a 24 h period. In addition, immunostaining and bio-layer interferometry confirmed the targeted nanoparticle’s binding affinity to amyloid species. The iron nanoparticles demonstrated favourable MRI contrast enhancement; however, the addition of the antibody resulted in a reduction in the relaxivity of the particles. The present work shows promising preliminary results in the development of a targeted non-invasive method of early AD diagnosis using contrast-enhanced MRI.Mass spectrometric results were obtained at the Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility within the Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre of the University of New South Wales. The authors acknowledge the facilities and the scientific and technical assistance of Microscopy Australia and of the National Imaging Facility (NIF) Australia located at the Electron Microscope Unit (EMU) and the Biological Resources Imaging Laboratory (BRIL) within the Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre (MWAC) at UNSW Sydney.24enPublisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Alzheimer's diseaseDiagnosisIron nanoparticlesMagnetic resonance imaging202310.3390/cells1218227985172774946