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 membranesystem of vesicles formed by dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) was studied. Selected magnetic nanoparticleswith core sizes ranging from 3 to 13 nm (in diameter) were characterised by transmission electron microscopy. Samples with 10% DMPC and different nanoparticleconcentrations were studied by attenuated total reflectance— Fourier transform infrared spectroscopyto establish the influence of nanoparticleson the phase behaviour of model phospholipid systems.