A safe and efficient magnetofection approach for gene delivery and drug delivery using nanorod particles

Aim and Background: Using magnetic nanoparticles to enhance gene transfection, a recently developed technique termed magnetofection, has been shown to be a powerful technology in gene delivery. In this study, iron oxide nanorod designed as a non-viral vector with high efficiency. Poly-l-lysine-coated SPIONs were prepared and used as a novel-carrier for the transfer of gene and drug into Hep-G2 cells. Methods: The first step was to synthesize iron oxide nanoparticles in the form of rods and spheres. The surface of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles was functionalized with APTES and activated by glutaraldehyde. The Poly-L-Lysine was placed on the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles with covalent bonds. The characterization of structure was carried out by FT-IR, EDX, XRay, FESEM, etc. Results and discussion: In current study, toxicity of rod PLL-MNPs was compared with spherical PLL-MNPs on Hep-G2 cell by MTT-assay. The toxicity of rod and spherical magnetic nanoparticles at different concentrations were compared. Coated nanorods as compared with coated spherical nanoparticles showed less toxicity on Hep-G2cells. Conclusion: The result of structure characterization was in line with our expectations. The toxicity of as-prepared magnetic nanoparticles was acceptable and compared with spherical magnetic nanoparticles, nanorod magnetic nanoparticles showed better gene expression in Hep-G2 cell