Nanoparticles of magnetic ferric oxides encapsulated with poly(D,L latide-co-glycolide) and their applications to magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent

Magnetic nanoparticles of Fe3O4 encapsulated with Poly(D,L lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) were prepared for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent by using an emulsification-diffusion method. In this study, we have investigated the effects of homogenizer and agitator speed on the nanoparticles formation and the magnetic properties of ferrofluid nanoparticles encapsulated with PLGA with varying the ferromagnetic particle size from 10 to 180 nm. We have confirmed that the ferrofluid nanoparticles encapsulated with PLGA could be utilized as an MRI contrast agent from experiments in animal tissue. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.