gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: Magnetic Drug Targeting is an efficient form of local chemotherapy with magnetic nanoparticles and the application takes place at present in animal experiments. The influence of the magnetic force on the nanoparticles in the vascular system and the infiltration of this particles into the endothelium was examined with an ex-vivo bovine artery model. The spatial distribution of the particles is to be analyzed with x-ray tomography (µ-CT) and in addition the results were histologically evaluated.

Methods: The bovine artery is part of a closed physiological BSA buffer-circuit and is positioned in a glass container rinsed by a ringer solution. Functionalized iron-oxide nanoparticels are injected into the circular flow. During the application a specific part of the artery is exposed to a focused, external electromagnetic field. Subsequently, the artery is taken, cut into segments and examined by means of µ-CT and histology.

Results: The histological studies show a high enrichment of the nanoparticles in the segments close to the tip of the pole shoe of the electromagnetic field. Nanoparticles can be proven mainly in the lumen of the artery. Besides an infiltration of the particles can be determined into the endothelium. The µ-CT imaging illustrates that a higher portion of the applied particles can pass the endothelium barrier and enriches themselves in the tissue of the artery.

Conclusions: By means of µ-CT and histology a very high enrichment of the nano-particles in the segments can be proven, which stood under influence of the largest power of the electromagnetic field. The respective histological investigations give a detailed picture to the tissue infiltration and µ-CT-imaging obtain a spatial impression of the particle distribution in the artery.

Acknowledgment: The present studies were supported by the DFG (Al 552/3-1) and the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Foundation, Bad Homburg v.d.H., Germany.