DNA Interaction of Pt-Attached Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

Small platinum (Pt) nanoparticles have recently shown potential as therapeutic agents in cancer and oxidative stress treatments because of the resultant DNA damage. In this paper, we studied the DNA interaction of Pt-attached iron oxide nanoparticles. Multiple small Pt nanoparticles were attached onto the hydrophilic polymer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles in water. The Pt nanoparticles on the iron oxide nanoparticle surfaces were very small ( ~ 2 nm) and uniform in size. The DNA interaction of the Pt-iron oxide nanoparticles was studied using gel electrophoresis, which suggested two types of interactions by comparing with the control DNA. One interaction involved the direct linkage of DNA molecules onto the surface of the integrated nanoparticles. The other interaction suggested the detachment of small Pt nanoparticles from the iron oxide support due to strong DNA interaction. This conclusion was further supported by advanced transmission electron microscopy analysis.