Biocompatibility and proteomic profiling of DMSA-coated iron nanocubes in a human glioblastoma cell line - supplementary data

Background: Superparamagnetic iron core iron oxide shell nanocubes have previously shown superior performance in magnetic resonance imaging T2 contrast enhancement compared with spherical nanoparticles. Methods: Iron core iron oxide shell nanocubes were synthesized, stabilized with dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA-NC) and physicochemically characterized. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast enhancement and biocompatibility were assessed in vitro. Results: DMSA-NC showed a transverse relaxivity of 122.59 mM-1·s-1 Fe. Treatment with DMSA-NC did not induce cytotoxicity or oxidative stress in U-251 cells, and electron microscopy demonstrated DMSA-NC localization within endosomes and lysosomes in cells following internalization. Global proteomics revealed dysregulation of iron storage, transport, transcription and mRNA processing proteins. Conclusion: DMSA-NC is a promising T2 MRI contrast agent which, in this preliminary investigation, demonstrates favorable biocompatibility with an astrocyte cell model.

研究背景：此前已有研究表明，与球形纳米颗粒相比，超顺磁性铁核-氧化铁壳纳米立方体在磁共振成像（Magnetic Resonance Imaging, MRI）T2对比增强领域展现出更优异的性能。
研究方法：本研究合成了铁核-氧化铁壳纳米立方体，并采用二巯基丁二酸（dimercaptosuccinic acid, DMSA-NC）对其进行稳定化修饰，随后对其开展理化表征。同时在体外环境中评估了该材料的磁共振成像对比增强效果与生物相容性。
研究结果：DMSA-NC的横向弛豫率可达122.59 mM⁻¹·s⁻¹（以铁计）。用DMSA-NC处理U-251细胞未诱导产生细胞毒性或氧化应激；电子显微镜观测显示，细胞内化DMSA-NC后，其定位于内体与溶酶体中。全局蛋白质组学分析发现，铁储存、转运、转录及mRNA加工相关蛋白出现调控异常。
研究结论：DMSA-NC是一种极具应用前景的T2磁共振成像对比剂，在本次初步研究中，该对比剂与星形胶质细胞模型展现出良好的生物相容性。