Characterization of Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles Functionalized with a Biomarker Peptide

Abstract

Abstract The identification of peptides that can be coupled to magnetic nanoparticles and be directed against specific receptors has been developed and applied intensively in various biomedical applications, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to diagnose neurodegenerative diseases. This work describes the properties of magnetic zero-valent iron (nZVI) nanoparticles coated with silica and subsequently decorated with a peptide as a biomarker of neuroinflammation. The synthesized nanostructured compounds were systematically characterized by XRD, SEM, AFM, DLS, FTIR and VSM techniques. Biotin-Streptavin-HRP system was carried out to confirm the peptide's anchoring to the surface of the nanoparticles. The results showed that this nanostructured compound is an excellent candidate as a contrast agent capable of being used in magnetic resonance imaging, which would optimize the diagnosis of neuroinflammatory lesions compared to current contrast media.

Keywords

• Zero-valent iron
• magnetic composite nanoparticles
• MRI
• peptide