Preparation of magnetite nanoparticles and their surface modification with APTES

In the last decade, increased investigations with several types of iron oxides have been carried out in the field of nanosized magnetic particles among which magnetite is a very promising candidate since its biocompatibility has already been proved [1]. Magnetite nanoparticles (MNP) are widely studied due to their potential applications in biology and medicine such as enzyme and protein immobilization, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), RNA and DNA purification, magnetic cell separation and purification, and magnetically controlled transport of anticancer drugs, as well as hyperthermia generation. In the current study, magnetite nanoparticles were surface-modified with aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) to improve their intracellular uptake and ability to target hepatocytes