Sub-10 nm Fe₃O₄@Cu_2–xS Core–Shell Nanoparticles for Dual-Modal Imaging and Photothermal Therapy

Abstract

Photothermal nanomaterials have recently attracted significant research interest due to their potential applications in biological imaging and therapeutics. However, the development of small-sized photothermal nanomaterials with high thermal stability remains a formidable challenge. Here, we report the rational design and synthesis of ultrasmall (<10 nm) Fe3O4@Cu2-xS core-shell nanoparticles, which offer both high photothermal stability and superparamagnetic properties. Specifically, these core-shell nanoparticles have proven effective as probes for T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and infrared thermal imaging because of their strong absorption at the near-infrared region centered around 960 nm. Importantly, the photothermal effect of the nanoparticles can be precisely controlled by varying the Cu content in the core-shell structure. Furthermore, we demonstrate in vitro and in vivo photothermal ablation of cancer cells using these multifunctional nanoparticles. The results should provide improved understanding of synergistic effect resulting from the integration of magnetism with photothermal phenomenon, important for developing multimode nanoparticle probes for biomedical applications.

Nanoparticles for multimodal in vivo imaging in nanomedicine

“…This approach could be useful for diagnosis and therapy at the same time. 77 ) relaxivity and also offer high fluorescent intensities at twophoton excitation (720 nm) and conventional fluorescence (403 or 488 nm). 78 In summary, the combination of MR and optical imaging can provide much more information using MRoptical dual-imaging modality NPs.…”

What’s up in nanomedicine?

“…Nanomaterials used for this include metal-based materials (e.g., Au [14,15], Ag [16]), carbon based [17,18] and semiconductor nanoparticles [19][20][21][22]. Polymeric nanoparticles are successfully used in vitro and in vivo for the photothermal treatment of cancer (e.g., [23,24]).…”

Gold nanorods/mesoporous silica-based nanocomposite as theranostic agents for targeting near-infrared imaging and photothermal therapy induced with laser

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] To balance efficacy with safety concerns, an ideal photo-absorbing agent should have strong light absorbance in the near-infrared (NIR) tissue transparency window as well as high tumor-specific accumulation with minimal retention in other normal organs. [8][9][10][11] Furthermore, to judge the optimal timing of laser treatment and the highest peaked accumulation of PTT agent in the targeted niduses, imaging technologies 12,13 may be introduced to direct the design of therapy plans in bedside applications.…”