Synthesis and In-vitro Characterization of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Using a Sole Precursor for Hyperthermia Therapy

Abstract Co-precipitation of ferrous and ferric ions is the most common approach for synthesis of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs). However, reducing the amount of applied chemicals could lessen toxicity risks for biomedical applications. This study aimed to apply the high oxidation vulnerability of ferrous ions for synthesis of SPIONs via a single-precursor route in varied oxidative conditions. The obtained results indicated that physicochemical and magnetic properties of SPIONs were purposefully tunable through alteration of oxidative conditions and the optimized SPIONs were produced when the O2:N2 flow ratio adjusted to 5:5 in synthesis environment. The induction heating efficiency of the optimal SPIONs with different concentrations was evaluated under exposure of various alternating magnetic field (AMF). The cytotoxic activity of these SPIONs on human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells under hyperthermia condition indicated a noticeable reduction in cell viability to 49 ± 0.3 %, rendering these magnetic nano-heating agents as promising candidates for cancer therapy purposes.