Interactions between magnetic nanoparticles and model lipid bilayers—Fourier
transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies of the molecular basis of
nanotoxicity
The toxicity of nanoparticles (nanotoxicity) is often associated with their
interruption of biological membranes. The effect of polymer-coated magnetic
nanoparticles (with different Fe3O4 core sizes and different polymeric
coatings) on a model biological membrane system of vesicles formed by
dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) was studied. Selected magnetic
nanoparticles with core sizes ranging from 3 to 13 nm (in diameter) were
characterised by transmission electron microscopy. Samples with 10% DMPC and
different nanoparticle concentrations were studied by attenuated total
reflectance—Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to establish the influence
of nanoparticles on the phase behaviour of model phospholipid systems
