Preparation of gold core-mesoporous iron-oxide shell nanoparticles and their application as dual MR/CT contrast agent in human gastric cancer cells

Abstract

Multifunctional nano-systems are an enticing approach toward the design of nanoparticles with desired characteristics because of interactions between various components of the system. The combination of various imaging modalities often augments the advantages and simultaneously overcomes restrictions encountered by the individual techniques. This report describes the development of multifunctional gold core/iron oxide porous-shell nanoparticles (AuFe NPs) functionalized with matrix metalloproteinase peptide for targeted multi-mode magnetic resonance and computed tomography imaging. This study demonstrates that AuFe NPs simultaneously possess both T2-based contrast effect and X-ray attenuation properties in vitro. The drug loading capacity of porous iron oxide shell is also proposed.