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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Nanobiotechnology
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1467328
This article is part of the Research Topic Bioengineering at the Nano-Frontier: Advances and Challenges in Smart biomaterials View all articles

Multiphysics analysis of the dual role of magnetoelectric nanoparticles in a microvascular environment: from magnetic targeting to electrical activation

Provisionally accepted
Martina Lenzuni Martina Lenzuni 1*Paolo Giannoni Paolo Giannoni 2Emma Chiaramello Emma Chiaramello 1Serena Fiocchi Serena Fiocchi 1Giulia Suarato Giulia Suarato 1Paolo Ravazzani Paolo Ravazzani 1Alessandra Marrella Alessandra Marrella 1
  • 1 National Research Council (CNR), Roma, Italy
  • 2 Univerisity of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Minimally invasive medical treatments for peripheral nerve stimulation are critically needed to minimize surgical risks, enhance the precision of therapeutic interventions, and reduce patient recovery time. Magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENPs), known for their unique ability to respond to both magnetic and electric fields, offer promising potential for precision medicine due to their dual tunable functionality. In this study a multi-physics modelling of the MENPs was performed, assessing their capability to be targeted through external magnetic fields and become electrically activated. In particular, by integrating electromagnetic, fluid dynamics, and biological models, the efficacy of MENPs as wireless nano-tools to trigger electrical stimulation in the peripheral nerve system present within the dermal microenvironment was assessed. The simulations replicate the blood venous capillary network, accounting for the complex interactions between MENPs, blood flow, and vessel walls. Results demonstrate the precise steering of MENPs (> 95%) toward target sites under a lowintensity external magnetic field (78 mT) even with a low susceptibility value (0.45). Furthermore, the extravasation and electrical activation of MENPs within the dermal tissue are analyzed, revealing the generation of high-induced electric fields on the surrounding area when MENPs are subjected to external magnetic fields. Overall, these findings predict that MENPs can be targeted in a tissue site when intravenously administrated, dragged through the microvessels of the venous system, and activated by generating high electric fields for the stimulation of the peripheral nervous system.

    Keywords: magnetoelectric nanoparticles, Multifunctional nanoparticles, Extravasation, wireless stimulation, Nanotechnology

    Received: 19 Jul 2024; Accepted: 19 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Lenzuni, Giannoni, Chiaramello, Fiocchi, Suarato, Ravazzani and Marrella. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Martina Lenzuni, National Research Council (CNR), Roma, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.