Molecular Imaging Contrast Properties of Fe3O4‐Au Hybrid Nanoparticles for Dual‐Mode MR/CT Imaging Applications
Authors: Hoa Du Nguyen, The Tam Le, Thi Ngoc Linh Nguyen, Thi Hong Tuyet Phan, Dinh Quang Ho, Hong Nam Pham, Thien Vuong Nguyen, Trong Lu Le, Lam Dai Tran
ChemistrySelect
: 6 : 9389-9398
Publishing year: 9/2021
The development of noninvasive testing techniques in medicine by combining dual-mode Magnetic Resonance (MR)/ Computed Tomography (CT) imaging techniques will help overcome the limitations of the separated methods, leading to more accurate diagnoses. This has implications in clinical research, but currently remains a major challenge in terms of the need for a corresponding multimodal signal contrast agent. In this study, we use small size, monodispersed Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles as the seeds to synthesize magneto-plasmonic Fe3O4@Au hybrid nanoparticles (HNPs) with multiple functions with core-shell structures. The influence of the ratios of HAuCl4 and oleyamine (OLA) precursors on the shape and size of the nanoparticles (NPs) was investigated. The HAuCl4/OLA ratio of 0.2/1 is the optimal condition. The obtained NPs has an average size of 21.2 nm with a uniform spherical shape, high monodispersity. After the surface functionalization with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), the resulting Fe3O4@Au@PAA HNPs showed excellent dispersion in water, good biocompatibility, non-toxicity against Hep-G2 cancer cell line and Vero healthy cell line at high test concentration. The In-vitro test data showed that the materials with Au shell enhance X-ray decrease even at low concentrations compared to iodine-based commercial substances while retaining the same effect as T2 contrast agent with high transverse relaxation rate r2 (125.2 mM−1s−1). The In-vivo MRI images of rat liver tissue demonstrated that the hybrid nanoparticles showed the contrast increases 3 times under 1.5 T magnetic field after 30 minutes of drug administration. The computed tomography measurements showed the highest Hounsfield unit (HU) of 133.5 after the hybrid nanoparticle injected for 30 minutes. The in-vivo efficacy of Fe3O4@Au@PAA magneto-plasmonic hybrid nanoparticles was further evaluated in the cardiac and renal organs in a mouse test model to study drug kinetics. Generally, these Fe3O4@Au@PAA hybrid nanomaterials showed great promise as a candidate for multi-modality molecular bio-imaging.
Dual-mode MR/CT imaging agents · magnetoplasmonic hybrid nanoparticles · thermal decomposition ·transverse relaxation rate r2 · X-ray attenuation property