Dynamic light scattering-based method to determine primary particle size of iron oxide nanoparticles in simulated gastrointestinal fluid

Simple dynamic light scattering (DLS)-based methodologies were developed to determine primary particle size distribution of iron oxide particles in simulated gastrointestinal fluid. Iron oxide particles, which easily agglomerate in aqueous media, were converted into dispersed particles by modification of surface charge using citric acid and sodium citrate. After the modification, zeta-potential value decreased to −40 mV at pH 7. Mean particle diameters in suspensions of iron oxide nano- and microparticles stabilized by the mixture of citric acid and sodium citrate were dramatically decreased to 166 and 358 nm, respectively, which were close to the particle size distributions observed in the micrographs. In simulated gastrointestinal fluid, both iron oxide nano- and microparticles were heavily agglomerated with particle diameters of almost 2600 and 5200 nm, respectively, due to charge shielding on the citrate-modified surface by ions in the media. For determining primary particle size distribution by using DLS-based approach, the iron oxide particles incubated in the simulated gastrointestinal fluid were converted to monodisperse particles by altering the pH to 7 and electrolyte elimination. The simple DLS-based methodologies are well suited to determine primary particle size distribution of mineral nanoparticles at various physical, chemical, and biological conditions.