Magnetic Particle Spectroscopy (MPS) is a reliable and effective method for characterizing magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) and monitoring their cellular uptake. However, the magnetic excitation fields used in MPS can lead to unwanted changes in the MNP sample, such as chain formation or aggregation, which can affect quantification and characterization. In collaboration with Charité Berlin, our research group 8.23 has investigated the influence of the amplitude of the magnetic excitation field and the exposure time on the cellular uptake of MNP.
We conducted MPS measurements using two commercial MNP systems from Micromod Partikeltechnologie [1]. The cellular uptake was carried with human tumor cells (THP-1 monocytes), which are isolated from patients with monocytic leukemia. By varying the excitation field amplitudes and exposure times, we assessed the influence of dynamic magnetic fields on the MPS signal of the MNPs. Our findings revealed that the excitation field amplitude and exposure time impact the uptake kinetics. Notably, a field strength of 12 mT yielded a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) while minimizing field-induced changes.This article highlights the significance of optimizing MPS measurement parameters to accurately characterize MNP in biological environments. It underscores the need to carefully consider the excitation field conditions to reduce unwanted effects and ensure the reliable analysis of cellular uptake kinetics.
[1] Amani Remmo et al., Magnetic particle spectroscopy for monitoring the cellular uptake of magnetic nanoparticles: Impact of the excitation field amplitude, International Journal on Magnetic Particle Imaging IJMPI 9 1 Suppl 1 (2023), https://doi.org/10.18416/IJMPI.2023.2303061
Contact: Amani Remmo, 8.23