Amyloid Beta42 (Aβ42) Peptide Functionalized Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Specific Targeting of SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells

One of the most severe diseases threatening the ageing population is Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Recent studies found that the cellular uptake of extracellular amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides can lead to a build-up of intracellular Aβ in certain neuronal cells, which consequently lead to the onset of AD pathogenesis. It is therefore hypothesized that the detection of cells that are involved in such Aβ uptake could facilitate the early diagnosis of AD. In this work, a magnetofluorescent nanoprobe was prepared conjugating dye-labeled Aβ42 peptides with iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs). When incubated with SH-SY5Y cells, the cellular uptake of Aβ42-IONPs was enhanced, compared to that of bare IONPs. Further, by labelling SH-SY5Y and HCT-116 cells, it was found that the Aβ42-IONPs are selectively targeting the neuronal cells. This enhanced and specific neuronal targeting is attributed to the cellular uptake of extracellular amyloid by SH-SY5Y cells. In addition, the MR relaxivities of the Aβ42-IONPs are preserved after the peptides functionalization. The results suggest that the Aβ42 functionalized magnetofluorescent IONPs can be used as a bimodal probe to interrogate the cellular uptake of amyloid peptides.