Fast nanoparticle rotational and translational diffusion in synovial fluid and hyaluronic acid solutions.

Nanoparticles are under investigation as diagnostic and therapeutic agents for joint diseases, such as osteoarthritis. However, there is incomplete understanding of nanoparticle diffusion in synovial fluid, the fluid inside the joint, which consists of a mixture of the polyelectrolyte hyaluronic acid, proteins, and other components. Here, we show that rotational and translational diffusion of polymer-coated nanoparticles in quiescent synovial fluid and in hyaluronic acid solutions is well described by the Stokes-Einstein relationship, albeit with an effective medium viscosity that is much smaller than the macroscopic low shear viscosity of the fluid.

Multifunctional nanoparticles for intracellular drug delivery and photoacoustic imaging of mesenchymal stem cells.

Strategies that control the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and enable image-guided cell implantation and longitudinal monitoring could advance MSC-based therapies for bone defects and injuries. Here we demonstrate a multifunctional nanoparticle system that delivers resveratrol (RESV) intracellularly to improve osteogenesis and enables photoacoustic imaging of MSCs. RESV-loaded nanoparticles (RESV-NPs), formulated from poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid and iron oxide, enhanced the stability of RESV by 18-fold and served as photoacoustic tomography (PAT) contrast for MSCs.

Scale-dependent rotational diffusion of nanoparticles in polymer solutions.

It is shown that the rotational diffusivity of nanoparticles in polymer solutions spanning the dilute to semi-dilute regimes deviates from the predictions of the Stokes-Einstein (SE) relationship, and that this deviation can be explained by the existence of a polymer depletion layer with the viscosity of the bath solvent. The measurements of the rotational diffusion coefficient of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) grafted magnetic nanoparticles in PEG solutions spanning the dilute to semi-dilute regimes and a wide range of polymer molecular weights were obtained from the dynamic magnetic response of the nanoparticles to alternating magnetic fields. Experimental rotational diffusion coefficient values were compared with those predicted by the SE relation using the macroscopic viscosity of the polymer solutions and the hydrodynamic radius of the nanoparticles.

Magnetic particle translation as a surrogate measure for synovial fluid mechanics.

The mechanics of synovial fluid vary with disease progression, but are difficult to quantify quickly in a clinical setting due to small sample volumes. In this study, a novel technique to measure synovial fluid mechanics using magnetic nanoparticles is introduced. Briefly, microspheres embedded with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, termed magnetic particles, are distributed through a 100μL synovial fluid sample.

Design and validation of magnetic particle spectrometer for characterization of magnetic nanoparticle relaxation dynamics.

The design and validation of a magnetic particle spectrometer (MPS) system used to study the linear and nonlinear behavior of magnetic nanoparticle suspensions is presented. The MPS characterizes the suspension dynamic response, both due to relaxation and saturation effects, which depends on the magnetic particles and their environment. The system applies sinusoidal excitation magnetic fields varying in amplitude and frequency and can be configured for linear measurements (1 mT at up to 120 kHz) and nonlinear measurements (50 mT at up to 24 kHz).

Magnetic Characterization of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications.

Iron oxide nanoparticles are of interest in a wide range of biomedical applications due to their response to applied magnetic fields and their unique magnetic properties. Magnetization measurements in constant and time-varying magnetic field are often carried out to quantify key properties of iron oxide nanoparticles. This chapter describes the importance of thorough magnetic characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles intended for use in biomedical applications.

In situ measurements of dispersed and continuous phase viscosities of emulsions using nanoparticles.

The dynamic magnetic susceptibility response of magnetic nanoparticles was used to independently determine the viscosity of the dispersed and continuous phases of oil-in-water emulsions in situ. Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles coated with oleic acid (OA) or poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were prepared and mixed with emulsions, where they partitioned to the dispersed oil phase or continuous water phase, respectively. Emulsions with a range of dispersed-phase volume fractions were prepared and characterized using the nanoparticles and conventional rheometry.

Breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein Relation for the Rotational Diffusivity of Polymer Grafted Nanoparticles in Polymer Melts.

We report observations of breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein relation for the rotational diffusivity of polymer-grafted spherical nanoparticles in polymer melts. The rotational diffusivity of magnetic nanoparticles coated with poly(ethylene glycol) dispersed in poly(ethylene glycol) melts was determined through dynamic magnetic susceptibility measurements of the collective rotation of the magnetic nanoparticles due to imposed time-varying magnetic torques. These measurements clearly demonstrate the existence of a critical molecular weight for the melt polymer, below which the Stokes-Einstein relation accurately describes the rotational diffusivity of the polymer-grafted nanoparticles and above which the Stokes-Einstein relation ceases to apply.

Ferrohydrodynamic modeling of magnetic nanoparticle harmonic spectra for magnetic particle imaging.

Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is an emerging imaging technique that uses magnetic nanoparticles as tracers. In order to analyze the quality of nanoparticles developed for MPI, a Magnetic Particle Spectrometer (MPS) is often employed. In this paper, we describe results for predictions of the nanoparticle harmonic spectra obtained in a MPS using three models: the first uses the Langevin function, which does not take into account finite magnetic relaxation; the second model uses the magnetization equation by Shliomis (Sh), which takes into account finite magnetic relaxation using a constant characteristic time scale; and the third model uses the magnetization equation derived by Martsenyuk, Raikher, and Shliomis (MRSh), which takes into account the effect of magnetic field magnitude on the magnetic relaxation time.

Magnetic Assembly and Cross-Linking of Nanoparticles for Releasable Magnetic Microstructures.

This article describes a versatile method to fabricate magnetic microstructures with complex two-dimensional geometric shapes using magnetically assembled iron oxide (Fe3O4) and cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) nanoparticles. Magnetic pole patterns are imprinted into magnetizable media, onto which magnetic nanoparticles are assembled from a colloidal suspension into defined shapes via the shaped magnetic field gradients. The kinetics of this assembly process are studied by evaluation of the microstructure features (e.

Optimization of synthesis and peptization steps to obtain iron oxide nanoparticles with high energy dissipation rates.

Magnetic Fluid Hyperthermia (MFH) uses heat generated by magnetic nanoparticles exposed to alternating magnetic fields to cause a temperature increase in tumors to the hyperthermia range (43-47 °C), inducing apoptotic cancer cell death. As with all cancer nanomedicines, one of the most significant challenges with MFH is achieving high nanoparticle accumulation at the tumor site. This motivates development of synthesis strategies that maximize the rate of energy dissipation of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles, preferable due to their intrinsic biocompatibility.