Hexagonally Structured Hematite Nanoparticle Synthesis for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Precision engineering and rapid optimization pave the way for clinical translation of pristine theranostic nanoparticles (NPs) bestowed with versatile physicochemical properties. However, strategic control over nanocrystal structural attributes while preserving their crystallinity will be of immense scientific and technological interest to resolve and understand their biophysical and therapeutic properties at the nanoscale. Here, a controllable synthesis (co-precipitation) route has been provoked at a suitable parametric window (pH= 12, stirring speed=700 rpm, reaction temperature= 100°C, and calcination temperature= 650°C) to overtune a hexagonally structured hematite (α-Fe2O3) NPs. Its hexagonal structure has been authenticated from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with an average particle size distribution (PSD) of 7 nm. Crystallinity and PSD of NPs play a prime role in subsequent biomedical applications like haemocompatibility, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and cell culture activities (MTT, scratch assay, and morphology assay). The X-ray diffraction study (XRD) illustrates the crystallinity nature of the as-synthesized α-Fe2O3 NPs with a crystallinity index of 94.76%. The hexagonally structured NPs reflected excellent haemocompatibility towards the HRBCs even for a wide range of concentrations, along with high T2 relaxivity. The in-vitro cell culture activities demonstrated the biocompatible nature of the pristine α-Fe2O3 NPs towards the metastatic LN229 cells (glioblastoma). The synergistic interplay of robust scalable synthesis with excellent material characteristics inspires the synthesis of novel theranostic nanomedicine for versatile biomedical applications ranging from multi-modal imaging to cancer therapy.