Interactions between magnetic nanoparticles and model lipid bilayers-Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies of the molecular basis of nanotoxicity

摘要

The toxicity of nanoparticles (nanotoxicity) is often associated with their interruption of biological membranes. The effect of polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles (with different Fe_3O_4 core sizes and different polymeric coatings) on a model biological membrane system of vesicles formed by dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) was studied. Selected magnetic nanoparticles with core sizes ranging from 3 to 13 nm (in diameter) were characterised by transmission electron microscopy. Samples with 10% DMPC and different nanoparticle concentrations were studied by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to establish the influence of nanoparticles on the phase behaviour of model phospholipid systems.