Exogenous iron redistribution between brain and spleen after the administration of the 57Fe3O4 ferrofluid into the ventricle of the brain

Iron clearance pathways after the injection of (Fe3O4)-Fe-57-based dextran-stabilized ferrofluid into the brain ventricles were studied by Mssbauer spectroscopy and histologically. The nanoparticles appeared in spleen tissues within 3 h after transcranial injection. We separated and independently estimated concentrations of iron encapsulated in nanoparticles and iron encapsulated in proteins in the all rat organs. It was found that the dextran coated initial nanoparticles of the ferrofluid disintegrated in the brain into separate superparamagnetic nanoparticles within a week after the injection. The nanoparticles completely exited from the brain in a few weeks. The exogenous iron appeared in the spleen in 3 h after the injection and remained in the spleen for more than month. The appearance of additional component in Mssbauer spectra of spleen samples revealed a fundamental difference in the mechanisms of processing of iron nanoparticles in this organ, which was also confirmed by histological examination.