posted on 2024-01-03, 08:29authored byFrank Mickoleit, Felix Pfister, Bernhard Friedrich, Simon Markert, Andrea Kerpes, Christina Janko, Stefan Lyer, Christoph Alexiou, Dirk Schüler, Rainer Tietze
Magnetosomes are biogenic magnetic nanoparticles with
unique material
properties, such as high crystallinity and strong magnetization as
well as uniform and tunable shapes and sizes. In particular, the ability
to genetically modify their enveloping membrane could render isolated
magnetosomes as versatile tools for a variety of potential applications
in the biomedical field. However, the biocompatibility of the bacterially
produced particles has so far not been fully been assessed. In this
study, different biocompatibility and toxicity factors of magnetosomes
isolated from the model organism Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense were investigated and tested with THP-1, Jurkat cells, and primary
human-derived material such as peripheral blood mononuclear cells
(PBMCs). The obtained data demonstrate generally good biocompatibility
for all tested magnetosome concentrations as well as high blood compatibility.
Only slight but not significant complement activation was observed,
with no indications for plasma coagulation or hemolysis. However,
the presence of lipopolysaccharides originating from the Gram-negative
cell wall of M. gryphiswaldense caused
activation of PBMCs expressed as significant cytokine release. Thus,
this endotoxicity represents an issue for possible in vivo applications, which needs to be addressed in future studies. Nevertheless,
the results show that, overall, magnetosomes have high potential for
different (bio)medical applications and are already well-suited for
the fields of in vitro diagnostics.