@article{Slavu2023, author = {L. M. Slavu, A. Antonelli, E.S. Scarpa, P. Abdalla, C. Wilhelm, N. Silvestri, T. Pellegrino, K. Scheffler, M. Magnani, R. Rinaldi, R. Di Corato}, title = {Optimization of magnetic nanoparticles for engineering erythrocytes as theranostic agents.}, journal = {Biomater. Sci..}, year = {2023}, month = {March}, note = {article}, publisher = {The Royal Society of Chemistry:}, doi = {10.1039/D3BM00264K}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/D3BM00264K}, keywords = {intravascular contrast agents, MPS/MPI, RBCs, SPIO-loaded RBCs, TEM}, abstract = {The application of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) in drug delivery{,} magnetic resonance imaging{,} cell tracking{,} and hyperthermia has been long exploited regarding their inducible magnetic properties. Nevertheless{,} SPIONs remain rapidly cleared from the circulation by the reticuloendothelial system (RES) or mononuclear phagocyte system{,} with uptake dependent on several factors such as the hydrodynamic diameter{,} electrical charge and surface coating. This rapid clearance of SPION-based theranostic agents from circulation is one of the main challenges hampering the medical applications that differ from RES targeting. This work proposes a strategy to render biocompatible SPIONs through their encapsulation in the red blood cells (RBCs). In this work{,} the research has been focused on the multi-step optimization of chemical synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs){,} precisely iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) and zinc manganese-ferrite nanoparticles (Zn/Mn FNPs){,} for encapsulation in human and murine RBCs. The encapsulation through the transient opening of RBC membrane pores requires extensive efforts to deliver high-quality nanoparticles in terms of chemical properties{,} morphology{,} stability and biocompatibility. After reaching this goal{,} in vitro experiments were performed with selected nanomaterials to investigate the potential of engineered MNP-RBC constructs in theranostic approaches.} } @COMMENT{Bibtex file generated on 2026-6-27 with typo3 si_bibtex plugin. Data from https://www.tuhh.de/ibi/publications }