The impact of Fe3O4 on endocytosis-linked cytoskeletal changes in monocytes cells (Research Paper Sample)

The impact of Fe3O4 on endocytosis-linked cytoskeletal changes in monocytes cells
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Introduction
Impact of SPIONs as pollutants, and also the use of Fe3O4 SPIONs in biomedical applications
SPIONs are small synthetic γ-Fe2O3 (maghemite), Fe3O4 (magnetite) or α-Fe2O3 (hermatite) particles with a core that ranges from 10 nm to 100 nm in diameter (Bucak et al., 2012). SPIONs also comprise of mixed oxides of iron with transitions metal ions such as manganese, nickel, cobalt and copper and are known to possess super-paramagnetic characteristics. However, the most widely used SPIONs are the magnetite nanoparticles in a number of medical applications. SPIONs are characterized by an organic or inorganic coting on or within which a drug is attached and then subjected to an external magnetic field that directs them to the target tissue (Wahajuddin, 2012). This super-magnetic characteristic of the nanoparticles plays an important role in their use as vehicles for drug delivery as they can effortlessly drug molecules to their target site in the body. Upon removal of the magnetic field, these particles also lose their magnetism and hence have a very little chance of agglomerating. This helps protect them against uptake by phagocytes and consequently increases their half-life (Gustafson et al., 2015). In addition, their inability to agglomerate also means that they do not pose any danger of thrombosis or blockage of blood capillaries.
Information on Fe3O4
Fe3O4 have gained some biomedical applications that include dynamic sealing, use as contrasting agent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and use as biosensors as well as the magnetic targeted-drug delivery system, among others. Fe3O4 has been known to be a very stable compound and exists as magnetite iron ore. However, with the increasing application of super paramagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles in biomedicine, it is important to consider the toxicity of these nanoparticles, especially their interactions with the human biological immune system (Ghazanfaari et al., 2016). Research has shown that dextran-coated iron oxide nanoparticles can be taken up by human monocytes, which is then followed by localization within vesicles or free in cytoplasm. Fe3O4 nanoparticles that emanate from atmospheric pollution could find its way into the brain through inhalation and through binding to amyloid peptide, result in the degeneration of neurons that are responsible for Alzheimer’s disease (Maher et al., 2016). Fe3O4 could also generate toxic oxidation reactions that could have a negative impact on the body (Singh et al., 2012).