Construction of 3D tissue-like structure using functional magnetite nanoparticles

Magnetic nanoparticles for medical applications have been developed by many researchers. Since these nanoparticles have unique magnetic features not present in other materials, they can be applied to special medical techniques. Magnetite cationic liposomes (MCLs), one group of the cationic magnetic particles, can be used as carriers to introduce magnetite nanoparticles into target cells since their positively charged surface interacts with the negatively charged cell surface. Magnetite nanoparticles conjugated with antibodies (antibody-conjugated magnetoliposomes, AMLs) are applicable to introduce magnetite nanoparticles specifically into target cells, even when target cells coexist with other kinds of cells. Since the cells labeled with magnetite nanoparticles could be manipulated using magnets, we applied this technique to tissue engineering and termed it 'magnetic force-based tissue engineering (Mag-TE)'. Both magnetic force and functionalized magnetite nanoparticles were used in a process of tissue engineering: construction of multilayered cell sheet-like structures and tubular structures. Thus, the applications of these functionalized magnetite nanoparticles with their unique features will further improve tissue engineering techniques.