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Fe
3
O
4
@ZnO core-shell nanocomposites for
efficient and repetitive removal of low
density lipoprotein in plasma and on blood
vessel
Xiao Huang
1,2
, Juan Lu
1
, Danyang Yue
1
, Yijuan Fan
1
, Caixia Yi
1
,
Xiaoying Wang
1
, Mengxue Zhang
1
and Jun Pan
1
1
Key Laboratory for Biorheological Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, College of
Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, People’s Republic of China
2
College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Tongren University, Tongren 554300, People’s Republic
of China
E-mail: panj@cqu.edu.cn
Received 22 December 2014, revised 29 January 2015
Accepted for publication 9 February 2015
Published 6 March 2015
Abstract
Low density lipoprotein (LDL)-apheresis therapy, which directly removes LDL from plasma by
LDL-adsorbents in vitro is found to be clinically effective and safe to lower the LDL content in
blood to prevent cardiovascular disease. Thus, developing excellent LDL adsorbents are
becoming more and more attractive. Herein, functional Fe
3
O
4
@ZnO core–shell nanocomposites
have been synthesized by a facile and eco-friendly two-step method. Not only do they possess
high LDL adsorption (in PBS/plasma as well as on blood vessels) and favorable magnetic
targeting ability but they can also be reused conveniently, which offer the Fe
3
O
4
@ZnO core–
shell nanocomposites significant potential in the removal of LDL in vitro and in vivo.
Keywords: low density lipoprotein, Fe
3
O
4
@ZnO core-shell nanocomposites, reusable remover,
magnetic targeting
(Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)
1. Introduction
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of pre-
mature death worldwide, resulting in more than 16 million
mortalities each year [1]. Currently, it is of great belief that a
primary risk factor in the pathogenesis of CVD is the elevated
level of LDL in plasma [2,3]. Compellent evidence from both
experimental and clinical research also demonstrates that
lowering the LDL content in blood prevents CVD well [4,5].
For that reason, several LDL-lowering or -removing methods
have been developed and clinically used. Nevertheless, some
limitations still exist. Alimentary control, an adjunctive
therapeutic measure, is limited in its effectiveness [6]. Clini-
cally used LDL-lowering medicines, such as statins, bile acid
resins and niacin, display side effects after long-term medi-
cation (muscle pain, weakness [7], acute coronary syndromes
[8], etc). In particular, when the patient’s LDL level is over
3mgmL
−1
in blood, alimentary control and drugs would take
no effect [9]. Rejoicingly, LDL-apheresis therapy, which
directly removes LDL from plasma by LDL-adsorbents
in vitro, is found to be clinically effective and safe, particu-
larly for familial hypercholesterolemia patients and for those
who cannot be sufficiently treated by diet and drugs [10].
However, its effect, which depends on the adsorptive per-
formance of LDL-adsorbents, is still expected to be improved.
The LDL-adsorbents currently used consist of heparinized- or
sulfonated-cellulose [11], dextran [12], polyvinyl alcohol
[13], carbon composites [14] and anti-LDL antibody-carrying
poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) cryogel [15]; their effec-
tiveness is limited by the poor graft ratio of the small LDL-
adsorbing molecules [16,17]. What is worse, none of them
can be conveniently reusable to cut the therapy cost for the
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology 26 (2015) 125101 (8pp) doi:10.1088/0957-4484/26/12/125101
0957-4484/15/125101+08$33.00 © 2015 IOP Publishing Ltd Printed in the UK1
