Composite silica coated gold nanosphere and quantum dots nanoparticles for X-ray CT and fluorescence bimodal imaging

Abstract

In this study, silica coated Au nanospheres (Au@SiO2) were prepared by a reverse microemulsion method; subsequently, a layer of fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) were adsorbed onto it and then it was coated with silica again. After modifying with PVP, the composite silica coated gold nanosphere and quantum dots nanoparticle (Au@SiO2-QDs/SiO2-PVP) was obtained. This composite structure contained Au and QDs, and it could be used for contrast-enhanced X-ray CT imaging and fluorescence imaging. Characterization showed that the composite nanoparticle had good dispersity, a high fluorescence intensity and a good effect of X-ray absorption, and it was suitable for using as a bimodal imaging probe.

Targeting Oxidative Stress Using Nanoparticles as a Theranostic Strategy for Cardiovascular Diseases

“…Silica nanoparticles have been used to carry antibiotics and to increase the biocompatibility of other types of nanoparticles. Gold and silica have also been combined to produce gold nanoparticles within a silica shell (39,40,83,101). By varying the thickness of the gold shell relative to the silica core, the nanoparticle properties can be adjusted.…”

“…By varying the thickness of the gold shell relative to the silica core, the nanoparticle properties can be adjusted. These nanoparticles can be designed to either absorb or scatter resonant light, creating useful diagnostic capabilities in optical scattering, optical coherence tomography, and therapeutic photothermal cancer therapy (101,115). However, despite being biocompatible, they are not biodegradable.…”

Novel Biocompatible Au Nanostars@PEG Nanoparticles for In Vivo CT Imaging and Renal Clearance Properties

“…The past decade has witnessed the rapid development of nanoparticles in nano-biotechnology, owing to their diverse constituent materials and large surface area [ 1 , 2 ]. Among these nanoparticles, Au has a widely applications as its excellent biocompatibility and affinity in the biomedical field [ 3 , 4 ]. In recent few years, Au nanoparticles are widely used in CT imaging, due to its bigger atomic number, precious metal, and chemical inertness, as well as not easy to proteins in the body reaction [ 5 – 7 ].…”

Photoluminescent nanoplatforms in biomedical applications

“…However, iodinated molecules display rapid renal clearance, decreasing the imaging times; as well, they show high kidney toxicity. Alternatively, inorganic nanoparticles, such as gold nanoparticles, iodinated QDs and Ln-UCNPs, have also been explored as X-ray CT contrast agents because of their high X-ray attenuation [141][142][143][144].…”