KR20180076885A - Nanocomposite, composition for contrast agent comprising the same, apparatus for manufacturing nanocomposite, and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a nanocomposite, a contrast medium composition having the same, and an apparatus and a method for manufacturing the nanocomposite. The nanocomposite composed of a core and a shell can be used for various usages in a human body by having excellent storage stability, gene transfer performance, and low cytotoxicity, and can realize an image with excellent contrast by inducing a strong image signal when using as an MRI and/or a CT contrast medium by having high cell absorbency, light absorbency, and excellent saturation magnetization characteristics.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a nanocomposite, a nanocomposite, a coating composition containing the nanocomposite, a nanocomposite, a coating composition containing the nanocomposite,

The present invention relates to a nanocomposite, a contrast agent composition containing the nanocomposite, and an apparatus and a method for producing the nanocomposite.

Nanoparticles finely synthesized and modified within the range of 10 to 500 nm in particle diameter can be used variously for the purpose of treatment and / or diagnosis. Specifically, the wide active sites of the nanoparticles can improve the binding of functional substances such as drugs, proteins, and probe materials for efficient diagnosis and treatment of cells or tissues, and their ability to transport them. Although various attempts have been made to produce the nanoparticles, there is a further need for research to improve the physical properties and efficiency of the nanoparticles.

Recently, poly (lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) has been attracting attention as a biocompatible platform which exhibits stable, safe physico-chemical properties and can be produced at a high yield. Recently, attempts have been made to bond or link polymers having other functional components to improve or complement the above characteristics.

Particularly, the metal particles to which the polymer is bonded are easily applied in the field of treatment or diagnosis. Specifically, recently, various metal nanoparticles having bioactive organic components bonded thereto are used for chemical or photothermal treatment. This is because surface plasmon resonance heating of the nanoparticles occurs when the nanoparticles are present in the cell under near-infrared irradiation. Since the near-infrared rays have high transmission efficiency in water or hemoglobin, they are suitable for killing cancer cells or penetrating deep tissues using non-invasive methods. The high thermal energy induced by the near-infrared irradiation causes a thermoresponsive drug release and a hyperthermic effect, so that cancer cells can be treated or killed.

Among the various metal nanoparticles, gold and iron are well known as nonproinflammatory agents, so that the gold or iron-containing nanoparticles are often used in therapeutic diagnostic applications as nanocarriers or as radiation sensors And have been used, for example, in contrast agents or thermal therapies. Specifically, the iron nanoparticles are used in various biomedical fields such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), drug targeting, and cell transformation. The gold nanoparticles are used in computer tomography (CT) Devices and the like.

Also, in the past, many wet chemical formulations based on suspension of metal particles have been proposed as a method for producing the metal nanoparticles, but such a process can be used only for a short time. Moreover, metal nanoparticles containing organic or polymeric components are generally unstable because they are gradually degraded by hydrolysis. Thus, bioactive nanoparticles in suspension or in colloidal form are not suitable. In addition, colloidal nanoparticles are unsuitable for use in the biotechnology sector because of their tendency to agglomerate during storage, altering the properties of the material. Particularly in the case of conventional wet chemical processes, there is a disadvantage that a complex process must be performed in order to change the function of on-demand nanoparticles.

The present application has excellent storage stability, gene transfer performance and low cytotoxicity and can be used for various purposes in the human body. It has high cellular absorptivity, light absorptivity and excellent saturation magnetization, so it is used as a contrast agent for MRI and / or CT The present invention provides a nanocomposite and a contrast agent composition containing the nanocomposite capable of realizing an image having a high contrast by inducing a strong image signal.

The present application relates to nanocomposites. Exemplary nanocomposites of the present application include a core comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of a diamagnetic, a paramagnetic and a ferromagnetic metal, and a shell comprising a biocompatible polymer surrounding the core, wherein the fractal dimension of the nanocomposite By controlling the value within a specific range, it can be used for various purposes in the human body due to its excellent storage stability, gene transfer performance, and low cytotoxicity, and has high cellular absorptivity, light absorption and excellent saturation magnetization characteristics. When used as a contrast agent for CT, it can induce a strong image signal and realize an image with excellent contrast.

The term " nano " in this application may refer to a size in nanometers (nm), for example, but is not limited to, a size of 1 to 1,000 nm. As used herein, the term " nanocomposite " refers to a material having an average diameter in nanometers (nm) and having excellent functions that are physically or chemically different from the original material by combining two or more kinds of materials, But is not limited to, for example, a composite having an average diameter of 1 to 1,000 nm.

Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the nanocomposite 100 of the present application.

1, a nanocomposite 100 according to an embodiment of the present application includes a core 110 and a shell 120. The core 110 includes a core 110, In one example, the nanocomposite may be a particle having a core-shell double structure. For example, the nanocomposite may be prepared by preparing nanoparticles or agglomerates of the nanoparticles to form a core 110, binding a biocompatible polymer to the core 110 and forming a shell 120 ). ≪ / RTI >Quot; core " means a portion existing inside the double structure, and the " shell " means an outer portion surrounding the core 110. [ The term " enclosing " means that the outer circumferential surface of the particle is substantially covered. In the above, the outer circumferential surface is formed so as to cover substantially 50% or more, 60% or more , 70% or more, 80% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, or 99% or more.

The core 110 may comprise nanoparticles or agglomerates of the nanoparticles and the nanoparticles may be selected from the group consisting of Diamagnetism Substance, Paramagnetism Metal, and Ferromagnetism Metal. Includes more than species. For example, the core 110 may be a nanoparticle or an agglomerate composed of a diamagnetic material, a metal nanoparticle or an agglomerate made of a paramagnetic metal, or a metal nanoparticle or aggregate made of a ferromagnetic metal. Preferably, the core may be a composite nano-agglomerate of a diamagnetic compound and a paramagnetic metal, a composite nano-agglomerate of a diamagnetism and a ferromagnetic metal, a composite metal nano-agglomerate of a paramagnetic metal and a ferromagnetic metal, or a composite nano-agglomerate of a paramagnetic and a ferromagnetic metal. As the core comprises the nanoparticles or agglomerates described above, the nanocomposite may have excellent X-ray absorptivity, and the magnetic properties of the nanocomposite may be suitably controlled to have excellent saturation magnetization characteristics Therefore, it can be used as a contrast agent for MRI and / or CT.

As used herein, the term " diamagnetism " means a material in which, when an external magnetic field is applied, the direction of magnetization is formed opposite to the direction of the external magnetic field. The term " paramagnetic metal " as used herein refers to a metal that is magnetized in the direction of a magnetic field when an external magnetic field is applied, and has magnetic properties, but loses its magnetic properties when the external magnetic field disappears. The term " ferromagnetic metal " as used herein means a metal which is magnetized even in the absence of an external magnetic field to have magnetism, for example, strongly magnetized in that direction by a magnetic field, Means a metal exhibiting magnetic hysteresis.

In one example, the diamagnetism may be a substance having X-ray absorptivity. As used herein, the term "X-ray" means an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength of 0.01 to 10 nm and a frequency of 30 × 10 ¹⁵ Hz to 30 × 10 ¹⁸ Hz. This means that an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength shorter than ultraviolet Means an electromagnetic wave.

The nanocomposite of the present application may include the above-mentioned X-ray absorbing diamagnetism, and thus may have excellent X-ray absorbability. Generally, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) or CT (Computer Tomography) images record the brightness difference between the light emitting part and the light absorbing part, and the excellent X-ray absorbability means that the image signal of the light absorbing part is strong. Accordingly, when the nanocomposite according to the present application is applied as an X-ray CT (X-ray Computer Tomography) or MRI contrast agent, a strong image signal can be derived and an image having excellent contrast effect can be realized.

The term " Contrast Medium " as used herein refers to a functional drug that is injected into the stomach, intestines, blood vessels, cerebrospinal fluid, joints, and the like to make it easy to distinguish tissues or blood vessels during a radiological examination such as an MRI apparatus or a CT apparatus.

In one example, the X-ray absorbing diamagnetism may comprise at least one metal selected from the group consisting of gold (Au), silver (Ag), bismuth (Bi) and tantalum (Ta) For example, the X-ray absorbing metal may be gold (Au), but is not limited thereto.

In another example, the X-ray absorbing diamagnetism may include an alloy of the metal, a metal sulfide or a metal oxide, for example, the alloy may be an Au-Ag alloy, The metal sulfide may be bismuth sulfide (Bi ₂ S ₃ ), and the metal oxide may be tantalum oxide (Ta ₂ O ₅ ), but is not limited thereto. Particularly, in the case of the gold (Au), it can be suitably used for a contrast agent or a photothermal therapeutic agent injected into blood in a human body as a metal which is not only harmful to the human body, but also has a strong X-ray absorption .

The nanocomposite of the present application may comprise the paramagnetic metal and / or the ferromagnetic metal, and thus may have excellent magnetic field absorption and saturation magnetization characteristics. In general, MRI is an imaging technique that images the signal that comes from absorbing magnetic energy when the hydrogen atom nuclei in the body are placed in a strong magnetic field. That is, the MRI contrast agent is required to absorb the magnetic energy to induce a strong signal. Therefore, the nanocomposite of the present application including the paramagnetic metal and / or the ferromagnetic metal can be suitably used also in the contrast agent composition for MRI.

In one example, the paramagnetic metal is selected from the group consisting of Pt, Sn, W, Mo, Al, Mn, Pd, Rh, For example, at least one metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium (Ru), zirconium (Zr), europium (Eu) and dysprosium (Dy), and the paramagnetic metal may be platinum, no. Particularly, the platinum can be suitably used for a contrast agent or a photothermal therapeutic agent injected into the blood of a human body as a metal which is not only harmful to the human body, but also has strong magnetic field absorption.

The ferromagnetic metal may include at least one transition metal selected from the group consisting of iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and gadolinium (Gd), and the ferromagnetic metal may be iron , But are not limited to these.

As described above, in another example, the nanocomposite of the present application comprises the above-mentioned diamagnetism and a ferromagnetic metal; Or a paramagnetic metal. In this case, since it can realize excellent X-ray absorption ability and magnetic field absorption ability, it can be applied to a contrast agent of an MRI-CT dual imaging device, and a strong image signal is induced, Excellent image can be realized.

The shell 120 may include a biocompatible polymer. By including the biocompatible polymer, the shell 120 can minimize cytotoxicity caused by the metal present in the core 110, and thus the nanocomposite can have excellent biocompatibility.

In one example, the biocompatible polymer can be used without limitation, if it is a polymer having low cytotoxicity in the human body. In one embodiment, the biocompatible polymer can be selected from the group consisting of a synthetic polymer, a natural polymer, And may include at least one selected polymer.

The synthetic polymer is poly (beta-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA); Polyacrylamide (PA); Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA); Polyacrylic acid (PAA), salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP); Polyethylene oxide (PEO); Polyethyleneglycol (PEG); Poly (ethylene oxide-b-propylene oxide), PEO-PPO), poly-l-lysine, polyethyleneimine, polylactic acid (PLA ), Polyglycolic acid (PGA), poly (lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) copolymer, and mixtures thereof, and preferably poly- Poly-l-lysine and poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) copolymers, or a mixture thereof.

The natural polymer can be used without particular limitation, provided that it has biocompatibility. For example, the natural polymers include chitosan, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Dextran and its derivatives; Acacia Gum; Tragacanthin; Hyaluronic acid, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Pectin, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Alginic Acid, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Agar; Galactomannans, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Xanthan, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Beta-Cyclodextrin, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; And amylose (water-soluble starch), salts thereof and derivatives thereof; And a mixture thereof.

The natural polymer-derived polymer may be selected from the group consisting of glycol chitosan, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC), salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Hydroxyethyl Cellulose (HEC), salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Hydroxypropyl Cellulose (HPC), salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC); Methylcellulose, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Cellulose Acetate Phthalate, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Gelatin, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Protamine sulfate, protamine sulfate, and a mixture thereof. The protamine sulfate may be, but is not limited to, protamine sulfate.

The biocompatible polymer may be at least one selected from the group consisting of poly (lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), protamine sulfate, poly-1-lysine, And preferably the polymer may comprise poly (lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), protamine sulfate and poly-l-lysine.

In one example, the biocompatible polymer contained in the shell is selected from the group consisting of poly (lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), protamine sulfate and poly-1-lysine, (Lactose-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), protamine sulfate and poly-l-lysine (poly-l-lysine) (PM, Polymer Mixture) may be preferably used, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Since the interfacial tension between the biocompatible polymer and the nanoparticles is higher than the interfacial tension between the nanoparticles during the formation of the nanocomposite, The biocompatible polymer can effectively encapsulate the core and, due to the unique structural configuration of the core-shell structure, the nanocomposite of the present application can be used as a contrast agent for the aforementioned MRI apparatus, CT apparatus or MRI-CT dual imaging apparatus It can exhibit excellent biocompatibility and excellent contrast performance when applied.

In addition to the core-shell structure, the nanocomposite may have a unique morphology. In one example, the fractal dimension (d _f ) value of the nanocomposite may be 1.6 to 2.8, for example 1.7 to 2.6 or 1.9 to 2.5, and preferably 1.6 to 2.3 days. have. The term " fractal dimension " in the present application means an index indicating shape information for arbitrarily shaped particles, for example, a larger fractal dimension value means that the shape of the particle is spherical, The smaller the dimension value, the more non-spherical it can be.

The fractal dimension value may be determined by the following general formula (1).

[Formula 1]

는 나노 복합체의 유효 밀도(Effective Density)를 나타낸다. 단, d_b는 1이 아니며, k는 반응 조건에 따라 적절히 변경될 수 있으며, 예를 들어, 10⁴ 이하의 정수일 수 있다. 또한, 상기 k 값의 하한은 0이 아닌 정수이면 특별히 제한되지 않으나, 예를 들어, 0.01 이상, 0.001 이상 또는 0.0001 이상일 수 있다.In the general formula (1), k represents a proportional constant, d _b represents a mobility equivalent diameter of the nanocomposite,

Represents the effective density of the nanocomposite. However, d _b is not 1, and k may be suitably changed according to the reaction conditions, and may be an integer of 10 ⁴ or less, for example. The lower limit of the k value is not particularly limited as long as it is a nonzero integer. For example, it may be 0.01 or more, 0.001 or more, or 0.0001 or more.

For example, if the value of the fractal dimension (d _f ) calculated in the general formula 1 has a value close to 1, it means that the shape of the particle has a linear one-dimensional shape, and if it has a value close to 3 Means that the shape of the particle has a spherical three-dimensional shape.

 Exemplary nanocomposites of the present application are characterized in that the fractal dimension values of the nanocomposites are adjusted to within the ranges described above so that the nanocomposites have a non-spherical shape, such as bunching or hairy, Shape. Further, when the nanocomposite of the present application is applied to the contrast agent composition, it can have high cell absorbability, light absorption and excellent saturation magnetization due to the non-spherical structural shape. On the other hand, when the fractal dimension value is out of the above range, the particle shape becomes spherical or linear, and when the nanocomposite is applied to the contrast agent composition, the cell absorption and saturation magnetization of the contrast agent may be lowered . Furthermore, the non-spherical shape of the nanocomposite can provide a larger functional surface for effective coupling with the drug or gene. In one example, the nanocomposite may be a nanocomposite-bound structure having at least one core-shell structure.

The fractal dimension value of the nanocomposite can be formed by controlling the nanoparticle aggregate forming the core to have an aspherical shape. For example, nanoparticles formed by gas-phase spark discharges can collide with each other immediately upon formation to form aggregates of non-spherical shapes, and the biocompatible polymers are encapsulated along the shape of the aggregate of non-spherical shapes Accordingly, the nanocomposite of the present application may also have a non-spherical shape.

As described above, the nanocomposite of the present application can also exhibit superior light absorption properties as compared to spherical particles, as having the above-described fractal dimension value. In one example, the nanocomposite of the non-spherical shape may have excellent near-infrared (NIR) absorptivity in addition to the excellent X-ray absorptivity described above. Accordingly, the nanocomposite may be suitably used in the field of thermal therapy or photothermal therapy. The term " near-infrared ray " as used above means light in a wavelength range of 800 nm to 1200 nm.

In one example, the nanocomposite may have an average diameter of 30 nm to 300 nm, and may be, for example, 50 nm to 250 nm, 80 nm to 200 nm, or 80 nm to 150 nm.

In one example, the specific surface area of the nanocomposite according to the present application may be from 50 m ² / g to 1000 m ² / g, for example from 100 m ² / g to 800 m ² / g, from 200 m ² / g to 600 m ² / g or from 250 m ² / g to 500 m ² / g. The " specific surface area " can be calculated from the concentration and average particle size and standard deviation of the nanoparticles measured by a mobile particle sizer (SMPS), 3936, TSI, USA. As the specific surface area of the nanocomposite is controlled within the above-mentioned range, the nanocomposite may have better gene transfer performance.

The present application also provides a contrast agent composition. The contrast agent composition of the present application may comprise the nanocomposite described above, and the nanocomposite may be dispersed in the composition. Accordingly, the contents overlapping with those described in the above-mentioned nanocomposite will be omitted.

Exemplary contrast agent compositions of the present application have excellent storage stability, gene transfer performance, and low cytotoxicity by including the aforementioned nanocomposite and can be used for various purposes in the human body. In addition, when applied as a contrast agent in an MRI apparatus, a CT apparatus, or an MRI-CT dual imaging apparatus, it has high cellular absorptivity, light absorption and excellent saturation magnetization characteristics, A signal can be derived and an image having excellent contrast can be realized.

The present application also relates to an apparatus for producing nanocomposites. The apparatus for producing a nanocomposite of the present application can be used in the production of the above-described nanocomposite, and therefore, the description of the parts overlapping with those described in the above-described nanocomposite will be omitted. According to the exemplary apparatus for producing a nanocomposite of the present application, the aforementioned nanocomposite can be continuously produced through a simple and environmentally friendly process.

Hereinafter, an apparatus for producing a nanocomposite of the present application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the attached drawings are illustrative, and the scope of the apparatus for manufacturing a nanocomposite of the present application is not limited by the accompanying drawings.

2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of an apparatus for producing nanocomposite of the present application.

2, the manufacturing apparatus of the present application includes a discharge unit 10, a spray unit 20, and an extraction unit 30. As shown in Fig.

The discharge unit 10 is a part for generating nanoparticles by spark discharge and is spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval to form an interval, and includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a nonmagnetic material, a paramagnetic metal, and a ferromagnetic metal And a power supply unit 12 for applying a voltage to the conductive rod 11.

The pair of conductive rods 11 are spaced apart from each other to form a gap. For example, a spark discharge occurs in the discharge unit 10, and nanoparticles are generated due to the high temperature generated locally between the conductive rods 11 by the spark discharge. The term " gap " or " gap " as used in the present application means a gap between two parts that are moved or fixed. For example, the gap may be a space between a pair of conductive rods 11 .

The material constituting the conductive rod 11 is not particularly limited as long as it is at least one material selected from the group consisting of a diamagnetic material, a paramagnetic metal and a ferromagnetic metal. The contents will be omitted.

The gap between the conductive rods 11, for example, the electrode gap which is the shortest distance between the conductive rods 11, decreases as the distance between the conductive rods 11 decreases. As the distance increases, Is required. In addition, if the electrode gap is narrow, the voltage required to generate the spark is reduced, but the short spark can cause misfiring by transmitting the minimum ignition energy to the mixer, so it is necessary to set an appropriate distance by experiment. In one example, the gap between the electrodes may be from 0.1 to 10 mm, but is not limited thereto.

The power supply unit 12 is a portion for applying a voltage to each of the conductive rods 11. In one example, the voltage applied from the power supply unit 12 to the conductive rods 11 is 2 to 5 kV, The amount of current may be from 0.5 to 5 mA, but is not limited thereto. For example, the voltage applied to the pair of conductive rods 11 can be controlled to be constant in the power supply unit 12. Accordingly, by supplying the nanoparticles quantitatively, nanoparticles can be produced with excellent supply stability.

In one example, the power supply unit 12 may include an electric circuit for applying a high voltage to the conductive rod 11. The electric circuit has a constant voltage source structure composed of a high voltage supply (HV), an external capacitor (C) and a resistor (R), and is capable of switching a plurality of resistors, a plurality of capacitors, Can be used to control the size of the nanoparticles.

In one example, the discharge unit 10 has a pair of electrodes 11 spaced apart at a predetermined interval, and a gas supply such as a carrier gas supply system (not shown) Apparatus, and a flow meter such as an MFC (Mass Flow Controller). In addition, an inert gas or nitrogen can be quantitatively supplied to the reaction chamber 1 by the gas supply device and the flow meter.

When a high voltage is applied to the conductive rod 11, an inert gas, which flows through the space between the conductive rods by vaporizing or granulating the at least one material selected from the group consisting of the diamagnetic material, the paramagnetic metal and the ferromagnetic metal by the spark discharge, And may be introduced into the atomizing unit 20 to be described later along one or more gas flows selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. For example, when a voltage is applied to the conductive rod 11 of the discharge unit 10, the metal is vaporized at a distance between the pair of conductive rods 11 of the discharge unit 10, and an inert gas or nitrogen Vaporized metal moved along the carrier gas, etc., is condensed out of the gap, and thus, nanoparticles are formed. Examples of the inert gas include, but are not limited to, argon (Ar) or helium (He).

The particle diameter of the nanoparticles generated from the discharge unit 10 is determined by spark generation conditions such as an applied voltage, a frequency, a current, a resistance, and a capacitance value; Type and flow rate of the inert gas; The solution injection speed in the spraying portion 20; For example, from 20 nm to 450 nm, from 30 nm to 400 nm, or from 50 nm to 150 nm, depending on the shape of the spark electrode or the like.

The spraying portion 20 is a portion for spraying a biocompatible polymer solution onto the nanoparticles to adhere the biocompatible polymer to the metal particles. The biocompatible polymer will be omitted from the biocompatible polymer existing in the shell described in the above-described nanocomposite.

In one example, the spraying portion 20 may include a spraying nozzle 21. The atomizing nozzle 21 may be composed of an upper atomizing nozzle and a lower atomizing nozzle. The particle size of the nozzle is not particularly limited, but may be 0.1 to 1.0 mm. The solution containing the biocompatible polymer is sprayed in droplet form into the reaction chamber 1 through the atomizing nozzle 21 in the atomizing unit 20, The nanoparticles may be encapsulated by the droplets.

The spraying unit 20 may further include a stirrer 22 for mixing a biocompatible polymer and a solvent to produce a solution. The stirrer 22 is not particularly limited as long as it is a device capable of high-speed stirring. For example, it may be 200 to 4000 rpm, and any device capable of stirring by applying ultrasonic waves may be used without limitation.

The solvent is a composition that is mixed to spray the biocompatible polymer in a droplet form. The solvent is not particularly limited as long as it is compatible with the biocompatible polymer. For example, dichloromethane, water, diluted acetic acid, phosphate buffered saline Phosphate Buffered Saline, PBS) and oil.

The manufacturing apparatus of the present application may further include a solvent removing means 30, which may include, for example, an extracting furnace or a drying apparatus.

In one example, the extraction furnace 30 is a portion for extracting the solvent from the droplets of the nanocomposite. Although not shown, the extraction path may include an inlet and an outlet. For example, the extraction solution may be introduced into the extraction furnace through the inlet, and the outlet may discharge the mixture extracted by the extraction solvent.

As an example of the extraction furnace 30, a tubular flow reactor may be used. For example, a droplet containing metal particles formed in the atomizing unit 20 may be formed into a nanocomposite as the solvent is extracted while passing through the tubular flow reactor.

In one example, the inside of the tubular flow reactor may be maintained within a temperature range of 50 ° C to 150 ° C, and a droplet entering the tubular flow reactor from the spraying section 20 may be passed through the tubular reactor, .

The manufacturing apparatus of the present application may further include a collecting unit 40 for collecting the nanocomposite that has passed through the extracting unit 30.

In the collecting unit 40, a nanocomposite can be collected using a substrate or a filter. The substrate is not particularly limited as long as it is a substrate capable of collecting the nanocomposite. For example, the substrate may include aluminum foil, silicon, glass or mica.

In one example, an electric or thermal field may be applied to the substrate to increase particle collection efficiency. For example, when the electric field is applied, the electric charges between the particles and the substrate are reversed to increase the adhesion force of the particles to the substrate. When the temperature field is applied, a temperature difference between the particles and the substrate is induced, The adhesion force can be increased.

In one example, the discharge portion 10, the spray portion 20, and the solvent removal means 30 may be maintained under an inert gas or nitrogen atmosphere. In other words, the nanoparticles according to the present application are sequentially moved to the discharge unit 10, the spray unit 20, and the extraction unit 30 according to the flow of the inert gas or nitrogen. It can mean to do.

The present application also relates to a method for producing nanocomposites. The method of manufacturing the nanocomposite of the present application can be performed by using the apparatus for producing a nanocomposite as described above, and therefore, the description of the parts overlapping with those described in the apparatus for producing a nanocomposite and a nanocomposite will be omitted. By way of exemplary nanocomposite manufacturing methods of the present application, nanocomposites can be continuously produced through a simple and environmentally friendly process.

Fig. 3 is a view showing an exemplary method for producing the nanocomposite of the present application. As shown in Fig. 3, the exemplary method of producing the nanocomposite of the present application includes a discharging step and a spraying step.

The discharging step is a step for generating a nanoparticle by spark discharge by applying a voltage to each of a pair of conductive rods including at least one selected from the group consisting of a diamagnetic material, a paramagnetic metal and a ferromagnetic metal. , The spark discharge voltage may be applied to the electrode to generate metal particles from the electrode surface in the discharge step. The spark discharge voltage can be appropriately adjusted by an electrode interval, an applied current, a capacitance, and the like.

In one example, in the discharge step, for example, when the interval between the electrodes is 1 mm, a high temperature of about 5000 ° C may be generated when a voltage of 2.5 to 3.5 kV is applied, After the metal is sublimated, the nanoparticles may be formed while rapidly condensing at room temperature as the temperature is outside the interval at which the high temperature is generated.

In one example, the manufacturing method of the present application may further include a gas supplying step of supplying an inert gas or nitrogen between the electrodes. Through the gas supply step, the inert gas or nitrogen is supplied, and at the same time, the metal particles move along the flow of the supplied inert gas or nitrogen to the encapsulation step and the extraction step described later.

The spraying step is a step of spraying a solution containing the above-mentioned biocompatible polymer to the nanoparticles formed in the discharging step, and in the spraying step, the nanoparticles may be encapsulated in the solution.

In one example, the atomizing step may include a mixing step of mixing the biocompatible polymer with a solvent, and the solution prepared in the mixing step may encapsulate the nanoparticles formed in the discharging step.

In the mixing step, the biocompatible polymer and the solvent may be stirred at a speed of 200 to 4000 rpm. In one example, the volume fraction of the biocompatible polymer in the mixed solution in the mixing step may be from 0.01 to 50 volumes per 100 volumes of the total mixed solution.

The solvent is a composition that is mixed to spray the biocompatible polymer in a droplet form. The solvent is not particularly limited as long as it is compatible with the biocompatible polymer. For example, dichloromethane, water, diluted acetic acid, phosphate buffered saline Phosphate Buffered Saline, PBS) and oil.

As shown in Figure 3, the exemplary method of making the nanocomposite of the present application may further comprise an extraction step.

In one example, in the extraction step, the solvent may be extracted by solvent extraction or drying. By extracting the solvent, the nanocomposite from which the solvent is extracted can be present in powder form and can have excellent storage stability.

In one example, the drying may be performed within a temperature range of, for example, 60 ° C to 250 ° C, 70 ° C to 200 ° C, or 80 ° C to 170 ° C. When the drying temperature exceeds 200 ° C, the biocompatible polymer may be deformed or decomposed. If the drying temperature is lower than 60 ° C, the desired solvent may not be sufficiently removed.

In addition, the manufacturing method of the present application may further include a collecting step of collecting the nanocomposite in powder form into a substrate or a filter.

In the manufacturing method of the present application, the discharging step and the spraying step may be performed under a flow of an inert gas.

Since the nanocomposite of the present application has excellent storage stability, gene transfer performance, and low cytotoxicity, it can be used as various therapeutic agents in the human body, has high cellular absorptivity, light absorptivity and excellent saturation magnetization characteristics. Therefore, MRI and / When used as a contrast agent, a strong image signal can be induced to realize an image having excellent contrast.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a nanocomposite of the present application. Fig.
2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of an apparatus for producing nanocomposite of the present application.
Fig. 3 is a view showing an exemplary method for producing the nanocomposite of the present application.
FIG. 4 is a graph showing the results of measuring the particle size distribution of the nanocomposite prepared in the example and the nanoparticles prepared in the comparative example.
FIG. 5 is a graph showing the X-ray powder diffraction pattern of the gold-iron (Au-Fe) nanocomposite prepared in Comparative Example 2. FIG.
6 is a transmission electron microscope image of nanocomposites and nanoparticles prepared in Examples and Comparative Examples.
FIGS. 7 to 10 show Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra of the nanocomposite prepared in Examples and the biocompatible polymer prepared in Comparative Example 1, respectively.
Fig. 11 shows gel electrophoresis analysis results of the complex (PM Capped Au-Fe / pDNA complexes) of the nanocomposite and pDNA prepared in Example 1. Fig.
FIG. 12 shows the results of measurement of cytotoxicity according to the mass concentration in the hILLA cells of the nanocomposite prepared in Example and the biocompatible polymer prepared in Comparative Example 1. FIG.
FIG. 13 shows the results of measurement of gene delivery performance of the metal nanocomposite encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer prepared in Example and the biocompatible polymer nanoparticle prepared in Comparative Example 1. FIG.
Fig. 14 is a fluorescence microscope image of the metal nanocomposite encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer prepared in the example and the biocompatible polymer nanoparticle of the comparative example 1. Fig.
15 shows the results of measurement of the magnetization of the nanocomposite samples prepared in Examples 1 and 3 with a vibrating sample magnetometer at room temperature.
16 is a graph of the relaxation slope of the phantom of the iron-nanocomposite of Example 3 and the gold-iron nanocomposite of Example 1 according to the MRI image and mass concentration.
17 is a graph of a relaxation slope of the phantom of the gold-nanocomposite of Example 2 and the gold-iron nanocomposite of Example 1 according to CT image and mass concentration.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples. However, the scope of the present application is not limited by the following description.

Example  One

Using the apparatus of FIG. 2, a nanocomposite having the shape as shown in FIG. 1 was prepared according to the method of FIG.

Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, nitrogen gas was passed through the discharge part. The nitrogen gas flow rate was maintained at 3.0 L / min by using a mass flow controller (MFC) (Tylan, US). The nitrogen gas was supplied to a gold (Au) rod and an iron (Fe) Length 100 mm, Nilaco, Japan). At this time, the interval between the pair of electrodes was 1 mm, and gold-iron (Au-Fe) composite nanoparticles were prepared by spark ablation by applying power to the electrode. Specifically, a power source having a resistance of 0.5 M ?, a capacitance of 1.0 nF, a current of 1.2 mA, a voltage of 2.6 kV, and a frequency of 380 Hz was applied to the electrode for the spark discharge.

The flow of nitrogen gas (purity greater than 99.99%) containing the gold-iron composite nanoparticles generated by the spark was transferred to the spray part and used as the working gas for spraying the solution containing the biocompatible polymer. Specifically, the solution containing the biocompatible polymer was prepared by adding 0.2 g of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid), PLGA (Sigma-Aldrich, USA), 0.02 g of protamine Lysine (Sigma-Aldrich, USA) was dissolved in 99.8 mL of dichloromethane (DCM, Sigma-Aldrich, USA) ) Was dissolved in water at a concentration of 0.1 w / v% to prepare a second solution (0.2 mL). The mixed solution was sprayed in the form of droplets through an injection nozzle having an ejection port having a diameter of 0.3 mm. Specifically, the gold-iron composite nano particles were mixed with the ejected droplets while passing through the orifice of the collision atomizer, Iron complex nanoparticles were encapsulated to form a hybrid droplet.

The hybrid droplets of the gold-iron composite nanoparticles encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer were passed through a tubular flow reactor maintained at a temperature of 90 ° C according to a flow of nitrogen gas, and dichloromethane To prepare a gold-iron nanocomposite (Au-Fe @ PM) encapsulated with a biocompatible polymer. The solvent-extracted nanocomposite was collected on a glass substrate (7059, Corning, US).

The fractal dimension value of the prepared nanocomposite was calculated as 1.8.

The complete evaporation conditions were taken into account, taking into account the time required for the evaporation of the droplets, which was predicted by comparison with the appropriate residence time in the tubular flow reactor. The characteristic time for saturating the gas with the vapor from the evaporating droplet was calculated by the following formulas 2 and 3.

[Formula 2]

In the general formula (2), τ is the time to saturate the vapor from the evaporating droplet to the vapor, D _d is the diameter of the droplet, σ _v is the vapor diffusion coefficient, and C (D _d ) is the number concentration of droplets.

[Formula 3]

In the general formula 3, ρ _s and ρ _p are concentrations of solvent and solid particles, respectively, and w is a fraction of solids in the liquid.

Example  2

A gold nanocomposite encapsulated with a biocompatible polymer was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a pair of gold (Au) rods were used in place of a pair of electrodes made of gold (Au) rod and iron (Au @ PM).

The fractal dimension value of the prepared nanocomposite was calculated as 2.3.

Example  3

(Fe) rod encapsulated with a biocompatible polymer was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a pair of iron (Fe) rods was used in place of a pair of electrodes made of a gold (Au) rod and an iron Fe @ PM).

The fractal dimension value of the prepared nanocomposite was calculated as 1.6.

Comparative Example  One

Biocompatible polymer nanoparticles (PM) were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the step of generating metal nanoparticles in the discharging portion was not performed.

The fractal dimension value of the prepared nanoparticles was calculated as 3.0.

Comparative Example  2

Un-encapsulated gold-iron (Au-Fe) composite nanoparticles were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the spraying of the solution containing the biocompatible polymer was not carried out in the spraying portion.

The fractal dimension value of the prepared nanoparticles was calculated as 1.6.

Comparative Example  3

The non-encapsulated gold (Au) nanoparticles were prepared in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the spraying of the solution containing the biocompatible polymer was not carried out in the spraying portion.

The fractal dimension value of the prepared nanoparticles was calculated as 2.4.

Comparative Example  4

The unencapsulated iron (Fe) nanoparticles were prepared in the same manner as in Example 3, except that the spraying of the solution containing the biocompatible polymer was not carried out in the spraying portion.

The fractal dimension value of the prepared nanoparticles was calculated as 1.6.

Experimental Example  - Characterization of porous nanocomposites and nanoparticles

<Particle size distribution>

The size distribution of the produced aerosol particles was measured by using an electrostatic classifier (3080, TSI, US), an Ultrafine Condensation Particle Counter (3776, TSI, US) and an Aerosol Charge Neutralizer , HCT, Korea) using a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS). The SMPS system used to measure the mobility equivalent diameter was operated at a sample flow rate of 0.3 L / min, a sheath flow of 1.0 L / min and a scan time of 135 seconds (measured Range: 7.91 to 333.8 nm). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images were obtained in the acceleration voltage range of 46-180 kV. For TEM inspection, the samples were directly sampled using a Nano Particle Collector (NPC-10, HCT, Korea) at a sample flow rate of 0.5 L / min and an operating voltage of 5 kV using Direct Electrostatic Gas- phase Sampling). For IR spectroscopy, samples were analyzed by physical filtration using a polytetrafluoroethylene media substrate (11807-47-N, Sartorius, Germany) with a pore size of 0.2 μm and a diameter of 47 mm For example, by mechanical filtration primarily by diffusion of the particles on the surface of the substrate. Spectra were obtained for samples in the range of 4000-400 cm &lt; ^-1 &gt; in absorbance mode. Samples were also characterized by measurements of magnetic force through a Lakeshore 7404 Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM, USA). The Zeta Potential of the Sample-Gene Complexes was determined using a Zeta Potential Analyzer (Nano ZS-90, Malvern Instruments, UK). The PM-Capped Metal Nanoparticles encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer were mixed with the gene and cultured at room temperature for 30 minutes. The complex was then diluted to a suitable concentration in double deionized water. The zeta potential measurements were performed at 25 ° C and were calculated using software provided by the manufacturer.

< Agarose  Gel retardation analysis Agarose  Gel Retardation Assay)

Acetate-ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid buffer (Tris 242 g / ml) containing Ethidium Bromide at 0.5 &lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt; g / , 57.1 mL of glacial acetic acid, and 0.5 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, pH 8.0) by 1% agarose gel electrophoresis. The metal nanocomposites encapsulated with the biocompatible polymers of the examples and the complexes containing the genes at different weight ratios were prepared by mixing, voltexing, and incubating at room temperature for 30 minutes. Approximately 100 ng of each of the complexes was filled into an agarose gel. A blue dye-filled gel (New England BioLabs, USA) was added to each well and agarose gel electrophoresis was performed at a constant voltage of 80 V for 50 minutes. The gene band of the resulting gel was then visualized under a UV light transmittance light (Ultraviolet Transilluminator) at a wavelength of 365 nm.

< Invitro  Computed Tomography Tomography , CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)>

To evaluate the contrast enhancement effect, aqueous dispersions of metal nanocomposites encapsulated with biocompatible polymers at different mass concentrations were evaluated with a 4.7 T Small Animal MRI Scanner (Bruker). T2 - weighted imaging (T2 -Weighted Imaging) is 8 ms of the TE, the observation field of view of 0.5 mm slice thickness, 3 × 3 cm (Field of View) , and a matrix size of 128 × 128, inversion recovery gradient echo sequence (Inversion Recovery Sequence).

CT scans were performed using a GE Light Speed VCT Imaging System (GE Medical Systems) operating at 100 kV and 80 mA with a slice thickness of 0.625 mm. Dispersions with different mass concentrations were prepared in 2.0 mL Eppendorf Tubes and placed in a self-designed Scanning Holder. Contrast enhancements for the perspiration samples were determined in Hounsfield Units.

< Invitro  Cytotoxicity and transfection ( Transfection )>

The cytotoxicity of metal nanocomposites encapsulated with biocompatible polymers was evaluated using HEK 293 cells by MTS analysis. The cells were cultured in 200 mL of Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM Carlsbad, USA) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) at 37 ° C, 5% CO ₂ and 95% relative humidity. The cells were sown at a density of 1 × 10 ⁵ cell / well in a 96-well plate Trace amount (96-Well Microtiter Plate) ( Nunc, Germany). After 24 hours, the culture medium was replaced with a Serum Supplemented Culture Medium containing metal nanocomposite encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer of Example 1 mg / mL, and the cells were incubated for 24 hours. Then, 30 [mu] l of MTS reagent was added to each well. The cells were incubated for an additional 2 hours. Thereafter, the absorbance was measured using a Microplate Reader (Spectra Plus, TECAN, Switzerland) at a wavelength of 490 nm. The cell survival rate (%) was compared with the untreated comparative cells in the medium without the metal nanocomposite encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer of the example, and calculated by the following general formula (4).

[Formula 4]

[A] _test = [A] _control × 100%

In the general formula (4), the [A] _test is the absorbance of a well containing a metal nanocomposite encapsulated with a biocompatible polymer, and the [A] _control is an absorbance of a comparison well.

The transfection performance of the HEK 93 cells of the metal nanocomposite encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer of the Example was measured using pDNA containing Firefly Luciferase and GFP gene. Cells were plated at a density of 1 × 10 ⁶ cells / well in a 24-well plate of RMPI 1640 medium (Gifco, USA) containing 10% FBS, % &Lt; / RTI &gt; fusion. Prior to the transfection, the medium was replaced with fresh medium containing 10% FBS. The cells were treated with a solution of the nanocomposite encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer of the Example containing 2 μg of pDNA for 4 hours at 37 ° C and the final volume was adjusted to 500 μl by the medium. After exchange with fresh medium of 10% FBS, the cells were further oriented for 48 hours. After this time, the growth medium was removed and the cells were shaken in 200 L Reporter Lysis Buffer (Promega, USA) at room temperature for 30 minutes. Lysates were transferred to tubes and centrifuged at 13,000 rpm for 5 minutes. Luciferase activity was measured with a luminometer (TD-20/20, Promega, USA). Total protein was determined by the BCA Protein Assay Kit (ThermoFisher Scientific, USA). The final luminescent enzyme activity was expressed as relative light emitting units (RLU) / mg protein. Inverted Fluorescent Microscope (Nikon Eclipse TE2000-S, Japan) was used to observe GFP expression of the nanocomposite of Example in 293 cells.

All experiments were performed 3 times, and the results were reported as mean and standard deviation. Statistical analysis was performed using the Student's T-Test. The difference was considered to be significant at p <0.05.

Measurement results and analysis

The particle size distribution of the prepared aerosol was measured using a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) (3936, TSI) in order to confirm the average particle size, standard deviation (SD) , Shoreview, MN, USA).

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the results of measurement of the particle size distribution of the nanocomposite prepared in the example and the nanoparticles prepared in the comparative example.

The results of measurement of average particle diameter, standard deviation and number density of the nanocomposite and nanoparticles prepared in Examples and Comparative Examples are shown in Table 1 below.

division Average particle diameter (nm) Standard Deviation(-) Number concentration (cm ^-3 ) Example 1 (Au-Fe @ PM) 122.1 1.66 1.95 × 10 ⁷ Example 2 (Au @ PM) 107.3 1.69 2.30 x 10 ⁷ Example 3 (Fe @ PM) 126.1 1.67 1.99 × 10 ⁷ Comparative Example 1 (PM) 105.2 1.77 2.06 × 10 ⁷ Comparative Example 2 (Au-Fe) 26.8 1.49 2.00 x 10 ⁷ Comparative Example 3 (Au) 21.4 1.46 1.94 × 10 ⁷ Comparative Example 4 (Fe) 18.3 1.40 1.10 x 10 ⁷

Average particle size, standard deviation, and number concentration of Example 2, a biocompatible polymer with gold nanoparticles (Au @ PM) encapsulated with a As shown in Table 1 are each 107.3 nm, 1.69 and 2.30 × 10 ⁷ cm ^- to ³ The average particle diameter, standard deviation and number density of the silver nanoparticles of Comparative Example 3 were 21.4 nm, 1.46 and 1.94 × 10 ⁷ cm ^-3 , respectively. The average particle diameter, standard deviation And water concentrations were measured at 105.2 nm, 1.77 and 2.06 × 10 ⁷ cm ^-3 , respectively.

The similar size of nanoparticles made from the biocompatible polymer of Comparative Example 1 and the gold nanoparticles (Au @ PM) encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer in Example 2 were similar to those of the biomedical polymer nanoparticles (Au @ PM) in the collagen atomizer in the vicinity of the orifice This is due to the quantitative combination of droplets and gold particles containing compatible polymers. Sudden changes in pressure, density, and velocity across the orifice can create an impulse that can redistribute the gold particles into the biocompatible polymer matrix, resulting in a change in size.

Further, as shown in the results of Table 1 and FIG. 4, the distribution of the particle size of the single mode is closer to that of the biocompatible polymer particles than that of the gold particles, It is sufficient to encapsulate all the assembled gold particles. Further measurements were made on Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) (Nano ZS90, Malvern Instruments, Worcestershire, UK) measurements of particles encapsulated with biocompatible polymers. The gas phase sample particles were applied directly onto the glass plate prior to performing biofunctional measurements. Experimental results showed that the hydrodynamic diameter variation of all the evaluated particles was less than 5.3%, and there was no significant change during the storage period of 1 to 14 days. From this, it was confirmed that the nanoparticles had stability to ensure additional experiments.

Compared with the data of the Joint Committee On Powder Diffraction Standards, although not shown, the characteristic bands of the gold particles at 38.2, 44.4, 64.6 and 77.5 are respectively the gold (Au) crystallographic facets (Diffraction Signals) from (111), (200), (220) and (311). In the case of iron particles, the characteristic bands at 43.5 and 50.6 corresponded to the diffraction signals from (111) and (200) of the? -Iron (? -Fe) crystalline face, respectively, while the characteristic bands at 44.44 and 64.8 (110) and (200) diffraction signals of the? -Iron surface, respectively.

5 is a graph showing the results of X-ray powder diffraction (D / MAX-2500, Rigaku, Japan) patterns of the gold-iron (Au-Fe) nanocomposite prepared in Comparative Example 2. FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, in the case of gold-iron (Au-Fe) nanocomposite, the gold (Au) peak overlaps with the iron (Fe) peak, which is a simple binary metal mixture instead of an alloy. Is formed.

The lattice parameter of the gold-iron nanocomposite measured using the Rietveld Refinement was 0.39765 nm. The analysis was similar to the Analogous Configuration of the Profile Factor (R _p = 7.43%) and the Weighted Profile Factor (R _wp = 5.92%), suggesting that the current analysis is appropriate .

6 is a transmission electron microscope image of nanocomposites and nanoparticles prepared in Examples and Comparative Examples.

As shown in Figure 6, in order to understand the formation of nanocomposites encapsulated with a biocompatible polymer through an aerosol route, nanocomposites and nanoparticles prepared in Examples and Comparative Examples prepared on a carbon-coated copper grid Were analyzed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM, CM-100, FEI / Philips, Hillsboro, OR, USA). The nanocomposites and nanoparticles were electrostatically deposited on a grid using a commercial aerosol collector (NPC-10, HCT, Icheon, South Korea).

As shown in FIG. 6, the transmission electron microscope image shows that the metal particles injected into the biocompatible polymer droplet in the collision atomizer are aggregates composed of several primary particles, while the biocompatible polymer particles Nanoparticles show a spherical, smooth surface. The metal nano-agglomerates can induce higher cellular uptake (in the case of gold nanoparticles) and better saturation magnetization (in the case of iron nanoparticles and gold-iron nanoparticles) than individual nanocrystals of the same size Therefore, it has been usefully used in the present application.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the metal nano-aggregates are added to the biocompatible polymer in the vicinity of the orifice of the atomizer, the nano-aggregates tend to accumulate in the polymer particles. This is because the interfacial tension between the metal nano- Because the interfacial tension between the aggregate and the polymer is higher, and thus the polymer can encapsulate the metal nano-aggregate.

Referring to FIG. 3, in a heated tubular flow reactor, the temperature of the nitrogen gas is somewhat higher than the glass transition temperature of poly (lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (about 50-60 DEG C) The particles are softened and have a non-spherical shape, for example, no longer spherical, with respect to the metal nanocomposite.

In addition, the polymer coating on the surface of the metal nanoparticles is a capillary force ( F _cap = 2? Dp? Cos?, Where Dp and? Are the particle diameter and surface tension, respectively) of voids between primary particles of metal agglomerates. ). The junction between the polymer and the metal can also be formed by neutral electrostatic charge during solvent extraction in a heated tubular reactor and / or interparticle termination of propagating radicals on the metal particles.

In addition, the average lateral dimension of the nanoparticles (PM) made of the biocompatible polymer prepared in Comparative Example 1 was 109 ± 5.2 nm. Similar data of the nanocomposites (Au @ PM, Fe @ PM and Au - Fe @ PM) samples of the Examples were 113 ± 6.2, 134 ± 8.2 and 124 ± 7.6 nm, respectively, Lt; / RTI &gt;

The number (n) of nanocomposites encapsulated in the prepared biocompatible polymer was dependent on their size when the sampled masses were the same. Therefore, the nanocomposite (Au @ PM) prepared in Example 2 has the largest number of nanocomposites and can be calculated by the following general formula (5).

[Formula 5]

In the general formula 5, m _NA and D _NA represent the average particle size of the metal nanocomposite encapsulated with the unit mass (1 mg) and the biocompatible polymer, respectively, and ρ _NA represents the density (about 1.3 g / cm ³ ) , Which were compared with experimental measured data using data from a mobile particle sizer (SMPS), 3936, TSI, USA and microbalance (DV215CD, Ohaus, Greifensee, Switzerland) . The mass using the SMPS can be calculated by the following equation (6).

[Formula 6]

(D _p ) is the fractional collection efficiency, and C (D _p ) is the number of the metal nanocomposite encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer. In the formula 6, Q is the flow rate of the nitrogen gas, t _s is the sampling time, The Number Concentration. The calculated numbers of the nanocomposites (Au @ PM, Fe @ PM and Au-Fe @ PM) of the Examples were about 1.25 x 10 ¹² , 1.77 x 10 ¹² , and 0.85 x 10 ^12, respectively. It is determined by adding the surface area of the nanocomposite prepared in Example by using the analytical approach, and the results were respectively ^{450.9 m 2 / g, 383.4 m} 2 / g, 396.3 m 2 / g.

7 to 10 show Fourier transformation infrared (FIR) spectra of the nanocomposites (Au @ PM, Fe @ PM and Au-Fe @ PM) and the biocompatible polymer prepared in Comparative Example 1, Spectral analysis (FTIR, Nicolet 6700, Thermo Electron, Madison, WI, USA).

Referring to FIG. 7, the absorption mode infrared (IR) spectrum of the biocompatible polymer nanoparticles (PM) showed a band around 1087 cm ^-1 and 1187 cm ^-1 , which corresponds to CO stretching. The other bands at 1380 cm ^-1 , 1389 cm ^-1 , 1759 cm ^-1 , 2946 cm ^-1 and 2960 cm ^-1 were CN stretching, CH-Bend, C = O ester, CH ₂ - Bend, and CH ₃ - Bend, and their peaks were attributed to the backbone of PLGA. Protamine in a biocompatible polymer matrix can induce bands at about 1033 cm ^-1 and 1190 cm ^-1 , which can be indexed as an index of symmetry and asymmetric stretching vibrations of S = O, respectively . Protamine sulfate and poly-lysine in the biocompatible polymer matrix further induce two or more bands at 1730 and 3400 cm- ¹ , respectively, resulting in carbonyl ester-combined stretching and amine- Amine-Hydroxyl Groups.

Referring to FIG. 8, the gold nanocomposite (Au @ PM) encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer prepared in Example 2 had an IR spectrum similar to the IR spectrum of the biocompatible polymer nanoparticle alone. It is clear that the nanocomposite (Au @ PM) of Example 2 has a relatively strong peak at 1033 cm ^-1 and 1190 cm ^-1 due to a considerable number of S = O groups. The above behavior is also shown in the gold-iron nanocomposite (Au-Fe @ PM) encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer of Example 1 as shown in Fig. 10, and this affects the affinity of gold and biocompatible polymer, (S) of the protamine sulfate in the conforming polymer (PM).

9, the iron nanocomposite (Fe @ PM) encapsulated with a biocompatible polymer exhibited a weakened characteristic polymer (PM) peak, and the affinity between the gold (Au) and the biocompatible polymer Proved to be better.

In summary, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the modified spectra of the nanocomposites encapsulated in the biocompatible polymer prepared in the examples provided evidence of metal nanocomposites and PM conjugation with the metal nanoglomerates. In addition, the presence of a biocompatible polymer (PM) suggests that the nanocomposite may have DNA-binding ability and form nanocomposite-gene complexes through electrostatic attraction.

In addition, the Zeta Potential value of a composite of a metal and a gene encapsulated in the biocompatible polymer prepared in the Example was measured using a Zeta Potential Analyzer (Nano ZS90, Malvern Instruments, UK) Respectively.

Example 1
(Au-Fe @ PM) Example 2
(Au @ PM) Example 3
(Fe @ PM) Comparative Example 1
(PM) Zeta potential
(mV) 26.1 ± 3.6 28.3 ± 3.6 14.6 ± 3.4 25.4 ± 3.6

Referring to Table 2 above, the positive charge of the complexes suggests that the nanocomposite is likely to transfer genes into cells. In addition, the zeta potential value varies depending on the kind of the encapsulated metal. For example, the nanocomposites (Au @ PM and Fe @ PM) prepared in Examples 2 and 3 had high and low values, respectively, which is consistent with the peak intensity of the IR spectrum.

Prior to measuring biofunctionality, the complexes sampled on glass substrates were separated in an ultrasonic bath (Bath) to ensure stability for long-term storage. Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay (EMSA) experiments were then conducted to confirm the formation of the complexes for the use of nanocomposite-gene complexes for gene transfer testing.

Fig. 11 shows gel electrophoresis analysis results of the complex (PM Capped Au-Fe / pDNA Complexes) of the nanocomposite and pDNA prepared in Example 1. Fig.

11, in order to investigate the appropriate range of the mass ratio of the metal nanocomposite encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer to the gene, nanocomposite and gene binding efficiency were experimentally measured at a ratio of 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0 . Specifically, line 1 from the left in FIG. 11 represents pDNA, and lines 2 to 6 represent complexes mixed with ratios of 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0 (ratio of nanocomposite to pDNA), respectively. Since almost all genes are efficiently combined with the nanocomposite encapsulated with a biocompatible polymer, a 1.0 ratio composite (line 4 in FIG. 11) was selected for gene transfer testing and Gene Liberation It was confirmed that there was almost no occurrence.

The cytotoxicity of the nanocomposites was assessed because an essential feature of the application of biomedical applications of metal nanocomposites encapsulated with biocompatible polymers is that they must be biocompatible. 12 is a graph showing the effect of the nanocomposite (Au @ PM, Fe @ PM and Au-Fe @ PM) prepared in the Example and the biocompatible polymer prepared in Comparative Example 1 This is the result of measuring cytotoxicity.

Measurement of the cell viability of metal nanocomposites encapsulated with a biocompatible polymer was carried out by measuring 3- (4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2H-imidazole in 293 Human Embryonic Kidney Cells at different mass concentrations of 5-100 ug / (MTS) analysis and compared with the cell viability of the nanoparticles of Comparative Example 1. The cell viability of the nanoparticles of Comparative Example 1 was compared with the cell viability of the nanoparticles of Comparative Example 1. [

As shown in FIG. 12, the cell viability of the nanocomposite and nanoparticles prepared in Examples and Comparative Examples was measured to be 98% to 103%, which was larger than that between the nanocomposite of the Example and the nanoparticles of Comparative Example (more than 99%) There was no difference. This suggests that the binding of the metal nanocomposite does not increase the cytotoxicity of the biocompatible polymer particles and thus demonstrates that there is no significant interference with the reproductive ability of the cells after incubation with the nanocomposite samples prepared in the Examples Respectively. On the other hand, the somewhat higher cytotoxicity of nanocomposites at high mass concentrations was due to damage through interaction between metal surfaces and cellular compartments. Specifically, Single-Strand Breaks and / or Enzymatic Degradations of intracellular genes through catalytic oxidative stress from nanocomposites have been shown to result in slightly increased cytotoxicity at high mass concentrations Respectively.

In addition, the gene delivery performance of nanocomposites encapsulated with biocompatible polymers was evaluated by luminescence measurement of green fluorescent protein (GFP). The results of the composite of the metal nanocomposite encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer and the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene prepared in the Example and the result of the composite of the biocompatible polymer nanoparticle prepared in Comparative Example 1 and the GFP gene were compared.

FIG. 13 shows the results of measurement of the gene transfer performance of the metal nanocomposite encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer prepared in Example and the biocompatible polymer nanoparticle prepared in Comparative Example 1, and is shown as a relative light emitting unit (RLU) per 1 mg of protein .

For comparative purposes, the gene delivery performance of pure DNA (Naked-DNA) as a control was first attempted, and as a result, the intensity of GFP fluorescence in 293 human embryonic kidney cells reached about 1.1 × 10 ⁴ RLU / mg. In the case of the biocompatible polymer nanoparticles (PM), 0.21 × 10 ⁷ RLU / mg was measured, and the nanocomposite prepared in Example was measured to be 0.23 × 10 ⁷ RLU / mg or more. Specifically, The gold nanocomposite (Au @ PM) encapsulated with a biocompatible polymer was measured to be 1.5 x 10 ⁷ RLU / mg. The gold-iron nanocomposite (Au-Fe @ PM) encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer prepared in Example 1 ) Was measured as 0.32 × 10 ⁷ RLU / mg. That is, the use of the metal nanocomposite encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer nanoparticles (PM) and the biocompatible polymer improves the gene transfer performance, that is, intracellular transfection has been achieved, and the metal nanocapsules encapsulated with all the biocompatible polymers The composite exhibited better delivery performance. These results indicate that the structural change of the biocompatible polymer into the non-spherical hairy structure formed by encapsulating the polymer along the non-spherical metal backbone in which the spherical structure metal particles are aggregated , And the hairy structure can provide a larger functional surface for effective binding with the GFP gene.

FIG. 14 is a graph showing fluorescence microscope images of the metal nanocomposite (Au @ PM, Fe @ PM and Au-Fe @ PM) encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer prepared in Example and the biocompatible polymer nanoparticle (PM) to be.

As shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the difference in gene transfer performance between the nanocomposite and the biocompatible particle was confirmed from the corresponding fluorescence microscope image. The gold nanocomposite (Au @ PM) encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer prepared in Example 2 proved to be highly efficient, indicating that gold has a higher affinity between the functionalized or targeted ligand, i.e., luciferase and complex, than other materials Because they can be easily combined with the ligands involved. In addition, the gold nanocomposite (Au @ PM) encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer prepared in Example 2 has the widest surface area (450.9 m ² / g) because it has the smallest lateral dimension of about 110 nm I have. This is supported by the results of the dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurement of Table 3 below. Table 3 shows DLS measurement results of the composite of the nanocomposite and the gene of the example and the composite of the nanoparticle and the gene of the comparative example.

Example 1
(Au-Fe @ PM) Example 2
(Au @ PM) Example 3
(Fe @ PM) Comparative Example 1
(PM) Particle size
(Size) 128.9 ± 4.9 120.6 ± 5.5 144.6 ± 6.2 115.2 ± 7.3

In addition, in a previous study, it has been reported that about six times as many genes can be delivered to COS-7 monkey kidney cells as compared with polymer particles not bound with nanocomposite particles in which aggregates and polymers are actually bonded. The reason for this phenomenon is that aggregates made of individual gold nanocrystals are either the tip of the agglomerate where single nanocrystals interact with the cell membrane or the edges where more gold nanocrystals interact with the membrane Because it can interact with one of the cell surface receptors, which can affect the rate and amount of internalization of the nanocomposite.

In addition, the dynamic light scattering (DSL) measurement was performed using a gold-iron nanocomposite (Au-Fe @ 2) encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer prepared in Example 1 containing pure gold-iron in a phosphate buffer solution PM) was used to evaluate the colloidal stability. Specifically, the non-encapsulated gold-iron (Au-Fe) composite nanoparticles prepared in Comparative Example 2 reached about 600 nm within 4 hours, while the nanocomposite encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer prepared in Example 1 Were remarkably stable with a particle size of less than 200 nm by 2.5 days. This is due to the positive zeta potential of the nanocomposite, i.e., the unipolar potential, as shown in Table 2.

FIG. 15 shows the results of measurement of magnetization of the nanocomposite samples prepared in Examples 1 and 3 with a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature.

Referring to FIG. 15, the nanocomposites (Au-Fe @ PM, Fe @ PM) measured in Examples 1 and 3 show magnetism because they are made of a metal nanocomposite encapsulated with a biocompatible polymer, Indicating a ferromagnetic behavior. The ratios of gold and iron of the nanocomposite (Au-Fe @ PM) prepared in Example 1 were 0.415 and 0.585, respectively, and the ratios were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (Optima 8300, PerkinElmer , USA) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EX-350, Horiba, Japan).

The iron nanocomposite (Fe @ PM) encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer of Example 3 and the gold-iron nanocomposite (Au-Fe @ PM) encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer of Example 1 were about 26.1 emu / g and 14.9 saturation magnetization (M _s ) value of emu / g (Electromagnetic Units Per Gram of Iron), and also had coercivities of 49 Oe and 40 Oe, respectively. This value is smaller than the non-encapsulated gold-iron nanoparticles (86.4 emu / g), and this difference is due to the composition.

The measured saturation magnetization value of the gold-iron nanocomposite (Au-Fe @ PM) of Example 1 was lower than that of the iron nanocomposite (Fe @ PM) of Example 3 because gold is a semi-magnetic material . Therefore, intergranular bonding between iron and gold can reduce the magnetic properties of the nanocomposite.

In addition, the low magnetization of the gold-iron nanocomposite (Au-Fe @ PM) of Example 1 was found to be due to the presence of uncompensated surface spins of partially Alloyed Au-Fe (Antiferromagnetic Ordered Core). &Lt; / RTI &gt;

After measuring the magnetic properties, the dual-mode imaging performance of the gold-iron nanocomposite (Au-Fe @ PM) of Example 1 was evaluated using standard MRI and CT imaging devices, The results are shown in Figs. 16 and 17. Fig.

FIG. 16 is a graph showing the MRI images (illustrations) and phantoms of the gold-iron nanocomposite (Au-Fe @ PM) of Example 1 and the Relaxivity Plot ) Graph.

17 is a graph showing the CT images (illustrations) of the gold nanocomposite (Au @ PM) of Example 2 and the phantom of the gold-iron nanocomposite (Au-Fe @ PM) of Example 1 and the Relaxivity Plot ) Graph.

16 and 17, the MR and CT images of Phantom were compared with the gold nanocomposite (Au @ PM) of Example 2 or the iron nanocomposite (Fe @ PM) of Example 3, (0.08 to 1.00 Fem in MRI, 0.5 to 6.0 mg / mL in CT) of the gold-iron nanocomposite (Au-Fe @ PM)

The MRI image of the phantom shown in FIG. 16 shows that the contrast of the phantom increases as the iron concentration increases. Also, the transverse relaxivity of the Au-Fe @ PM ) Is 55.2 mM / Fe · s, which is smaller than the transverse relaxivity (89.6 mM / Fe · s) of the iron nanocomposite (Fe @ PM) of Example 3, which is consistent with the magnetic properties of FIG. 15 . In addition, the CT image (illustration) of the phantom of Fig. 17 shows that the positive contrast is increased when the nanocomposite is present.

In addition, the absorbance of the nanocomposite (Au-Fe @ PM, Au @ PM) of Example 1 and Example 2 was measured through X-ray absorption analysis. As a result, 194 HU was measured for the gold-iron nanocomposite (Au-Fe @ PM) at the concentration of 6 mg / mL in Example 1 and the value was measured for the gold nanocomposite (Au @ PM) Value (218 HU).

As described above, since the metal nanocomposite encapsulated with the biocompatible polymer is sensitive to both MRI and CT images, the nanocomposite can be applied to an MRI-CT dual mode imaging device.

10: discharge unit
11: conductive rod
12:
20:
21: Spray nozzle
30: solvent removing means
40: collecting section
100: nanocomposite
110: Core
120: Shell

Claims (18)

A core comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of a ferromagnetic metal, a semiconductive metal, a paramagnetic metal, and a ferromagnetic metal; And
A shell surrounding said core and comprising a biocompatible polymer,
A nanocomposite having a fractal dimension value of 1.6 to 2.8. The nanocomposite according to claim 1, wherein the diamagnetism has X-ray absorptivity. [Claim 3] The method according to claim 2, wherein the semi-magnetic material having X-ray absorptivity is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of gold (Au), silver (Ag), bismuth (Bi), and tantalum (Ta) Alloys thereof; Metal sulfides thereof; Or a metal oxide thereof. The method of claim 1, wherein the paramagnetic metal is one selected from the group consisting of platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), palladium (Pd), rhodium And at least one metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium (Ru), zirconium (Zr), europium (Eu) and dysprosium (Dy). The nanocomposite according to claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic metal comprises at least one transition metal selected from the group consisting of iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and gadolinium (Gd). The biocompatible polymer includes at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of a synthetic polymer, a natural polymer, and a polymer derived from a natural polymer. The method of claim 6, wherein the synthetic polymer is selected from the group consisting of poly (beta-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA); Polyacrylamide (PA); Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA); Polyacrylic acid (PAA), salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP); Polyethylene oxide (PEO); Polyethyleneglycol (PEG); Poly (ethylene oxide-b-propylene oxide), PEO-PPO), poly-l-lysine, polyethyleneimine, polylactic acid (PLA ); A nanocomposite comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of polyglycolic acid (PGA); poly (lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) copolymer; The method of claim 6, wherein the natural polymer is selected from the group consisting of chitosan, a salt thereof and a derivative thereof; Dextran and its derivatives; Acacia Gum; Tragacanthin; Hyaluronic acid, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Pectin, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Alginic Acid, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Agar; Galactomannans, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Xanthan, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Beta-Cyclodextrin, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; And amylose (water-soluble starch), salts thereof and derivatives thereof; And mixtures thereof. &Lt; / RTI &gt; The method of claim 6, wherein the natural polymer-derived polymer is selected from the group consisting of glycol chitosan, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC), salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Hydroxyethyl Cellulose (HEC), salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Hydroxypropyl Cellulose (HPC), salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC); Methylcellulose, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Cellulose Acetate Phthalate, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Gelatin, salts thereof and derivatives thereof; Protamine sulfate, protamine sulfate, and a mixture thereof. The method of claim 6, wherein the biocompatible polymer is selected from the group consisting of poly (lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), protamine sulfate, poly- A nanocomposite comprising at least one selected. The nanocomposite according to claim 1, wherein the nanocomposite has an average diameter of 10 to 500 nm. 12. A contrast agent composition comprising the nanocomposite of any one of claims 1 to 11. A pair of conductive rods spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval to form a gap and including at least one member selected from the group consisting of a semi-magnetic body, a paramagnetic metal, and a ferromagnetic metal; and a power source for applying a voltage to the conductive rod, A discharger for generating nanoparticles at intervals between the conductive rods by discharging; And
And a spraying part for spraying a solution containing the biocompatible polymer on the metal nanoparticles to form droplets of the nanocomposite including the nanoparticles surrounded by the biocompatible polymer. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a solvent removal means comprising a furnace or dryer to extract the solvent from the droplets of the nanocomposite. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a collector for collecting the nanocomposite. 15. The apparatus for producing a nanocomposite material according to claim 14, wherein the inert gas flows sequentially through the discharge part, the spray part and the extraction part. A discharge step of generating a nanoparticle from the conductive rod by applying a voltage to each of a pair of conductive rods including at least one selected from the group consisting of a metal, And
And an encapsulation step of forming a droplet of the nanocomposite by spraying a solution containing the biocompatible polymer on the nanoparticle. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the discharging step and the encapsulating step are performed under an inert gas flow.

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