Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles coated with different polymers and their MRI contrast effects in the mouse brains

PEG and PEG/PEI modified superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) were synthesized by the thermal decomposition of iron (III) acetylacetonate (Fe(acac) 3 ) in poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) containing poly (ethylene imine) (PEI) (0 or 0.3   g). PEG/PEI-SPIONs were coated with Tween 80 (PEG/PEI/Tween 80-SPIONs). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses indicated that PEG , PEG/PEI and PEG/PEI/Tween 80 were attached to the surfaces of the SPIONs. The PEG-SPIONs, PEG/PEI-SPIONs and PEG/PEI/Tween 80-SPIONs performed excellent colloidal stability in the phosphate buffered saline (PBS), and in deionized water with the mean hydrodynamic sizes of 19.5, 21.0, 24.0   nm and the zeta potentials of -5.0, 35.0, 19.0   mV, respectively. All the SPIONs showed low cytotoxicity assessed by the MTT assay. In vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the Kunming (KM) mouse brains were performed, the PEG-SPIONs, PEG/PEI-SPIONs and PEG/PEI/Tween 80-SPIONs exhibited vascular imaging effects in bulbus olfactorius, frontal cortex, temporal, thalamus and brain stem of the mouse brains after 24   h intravenous injection of the nanoparticles . The SPIONs have potentials as MRI contrast agents in the mouse brains.