A bimodal molecular imaging probe based on chitosan encapsulated magneto-fluorescent nanocomposite offers biocompatibility, visualization of specific cancer cells in vitro and lung tissues in vivo

Bioimaging Probes Based on Magneto-Fluorescent Nanoparticles

Novel nanomaterials are of interest in biology, medicine, and imaging applications. Multimodal fluorescent-magnetic nanoparticles demand special attention because they have the potential to be employed as diagnostic and medication-delivery tools, which, in turn, might make it easier to diagnose and treat cancer, as well as a wide variety of other disorders. The most recent advancements in the development of magneto-fluorescent nanocomposites and their applications in the biomedical field are the primary focus of this review. We describe the most current developments in synthetic methodologies and methods for the fabrication of magneto-fluorescent nanocomposites. The primary applications of multimodal magneto-fluorescent nanoparticles in biomedicine, including biological imaging, cancer treatment, and drug administration, are covered in this article, and an overview of the future possibilities for these technologies is provided.

Surface Modification of Iron Oxide-Based Magnetic Nanoparticles for Cerebral Theranostics: Application and Prospection

Combining diagnosis with therapy, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (INOPs) act as an important vehicle for drug delivery. However, poor biocompatibility of INOPs limits their application. To improve the shortcomings, various surface modifications have been developed, including small molecules coatings, polymers coatings, lipid coatings and lipopolymer coatings. These surface modifications facilitate iron nanoparticles to cross the blood-brain-barrier, which is essential for diagnosis and treatments of brain diseases. Here we focus on the characteristics of different coated INOPs and their application in brain disease, particularly gliomas, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Moreover, we summarize the current progress and expect to provide help for future researches.

Multifunctional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Probes

Magnetic resonance imaging is characterized by high spatial resolution and unsurpassed soft tissue discrimination. Development and characterization of both intrinsic and extrinsic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging probes in the last decade has further strengthened the pivotal role MR imaging holds in the assessment of cancer in preclinical and translational settings. Sophisticated chemical modifications of a variety of nanoparticulate probes hold the potential to deliver valuable multifunctional tools applicable in diagnostics and/or treatment in human oncology. MR imaging suffers from a lack of sensitivity achievable by, e.g., nuclear medicine imaging methods. Advantages of including additional functionality/functionalities in a probe suitable for MR imaging are thus numerous, comprising the addition of fundamentally different imaging information (diagnostics), drug delivery (therapy), or the combination of both (theranostics). In recent years, we have witnessed a plethora of preclinical multimodal or multifunctional imaging probes being published mainly as proof-of-principle studies, yet only a handful are readily applicable in clinical settings. This chapter summarizes recent innovations in the development of multifunctional MR imaging probes and discusses the suitability of these probes for clinical transfer.

Bifunctional Pyrrolidin-2-one Terminated Manganese Oxide Nanoparticles for Combined Magnetic Resonance and Fluorescence Imaging

Multimodal probes are an asset for simplified, improved medical imaging. In particular, fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are sought-after combined capabilities. Here, we show that pyrrolidin-2-one-capped manganese oxide nanoparticles (MnO^pyrr NPs) combine MRI with fluorescence microscopy to function as efficient bifunctional bio-nanoprobes. We employ a one-pot synthesis for ca. 10 nm MnO NPs, wherein manganese(II) 2,4-pentadionate is thermally decomposed using pyrrolidin-2-one as a solvent and capping ligand. The MnO^pyrr NPs are soluble in water without any further postsynthetic modifications. The r₁ relaxivity and r₂ /r₁ ratio indicate that these NPs are potential T₁ MRI contrast agents at clinical (3 T) and ultrahigh (9.4 T) magnetic fields. Serendipitously, the as-prepared NPs are photoluminescent. The unexpected luminescence is ascribed to the modification of the pyrrolidin-2-one during the thermal treatment. MnO^pyrr NPs are successfully used to enable fluorescence microscopy of HeLa cells, demonstrating bifunctional imaging capabilities. A low cytotoxic response in two distinct cell types (HeLa, HepG2) supports the suitability of MnO^pyrr NPs for biological imaging applications.

Recent Progress in Synthesis and Functionalization of Multimodal Fluorescent-Magnetic Nanoparticles for Biological Applications

There is a great interest in the development of new nanomaterials for multimodal imaging applications in biology and medicine. Multimodal fluorescent-magnetic based nanomaterials deserve particular attention as they can be used as diagnostic and drug delivery tools, which could facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and many other diseases. This review focuses on the recent developments of magnetic-fluorescent nanocomposites and their biomedical applications. The recent advances in synthetic strategies and approaches for the preparation of fluorescent-magnetic nanocomposites are presented. The main biomedical uses of multimodal fluorescent-magnetic nanomaterials, including biological imaging, cancer therapy and drug delivery, are discussed, and prospects of this field are outlined.

Hyaluronan-modified superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for bimodal breast cancer imaging and photothermal therapy

Theranostic nanoparticles with both imaging and therapeutic abilities are highly promising in successful diagnosis and treatment of the most devastating cancers. In this study, the dual-modal imaging and photothermal effect of hyaluronan (HA)-modified superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (HA-SPIONs), which was developed in a previous study, were investigated for CD44 HA receptor-overexpressing breast cancer in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Heat is found to be rapidly generated by near-infrared laser range irradiation of HA-SPIONs. When incubated with CD44 HA receptor-overexpressing MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro, HA-SPIONs exhibited significant specific cellular uptake and specific accumulation confirmed by Prussian blue staining. The in vitro and in vivo results of magnetic resonance imaging and photothermal ablation demonstrated that HA-SPIONs exhibited significant negative contrast enhancement on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and photothermal effect targeted CD44 HA receptor-overexpressing breast cancer. All these results indicated that HA-SPIONs have great potential for effective diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Multifunctional nanoprobe for cancer cell targeting and simultaneous fluorescence/magnetic resonance imaging

Multifunctional nanoprobes with distinctive magnetic and fluorescent properties are highly useful in accurate and early cancer diagnosis. In this study, nanoparticles of Fe3O4 core with fluorescent SiO2 shell (MFS) are synthesized by a facile improved Stöber method. These nanoparticles owning a significant core-shell structure exhibit good dispersion, stable fluorescence, low cytotoxicity and excellent biocompatibility. TLS11a aptamer (Apt1), a specific membrane protein for human liver cancer cells which could be internalized into cells, is conjugated to the MFS nanoparticles through the formation of amide bond working as a target-specific moiety. The attached TLS11a aptamers on nanoparticles are very stable and can't be hydrolyzed by DNA hydrolytic enzyme in vivo. Both fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging show significant uptake of aptamer conjugated nanoprobe by HepG2 cells compared to 4T1, SGC-7901 and MCF-7 cells. In addition, with the increasing concentration of the nanoprobe, T2-weighted MRI images of the as-treated HepG2 cells are significantly negatively enhanced, indicating that a high magnetic field gradient is generated by MFS-Apt1 which has been specifically captured by HepG2 cells. The relaxivity of nanoprobe is calculated to be 11.5 mg(-1)s(-1). The MR imaging of tumor-bearing nude mouse is also confirmed. The proposed multifunctional nanoprobe with the size of sub-100 nm has the potential to provide real-time imaging in early liver cancer cell diagnosis.

Daunomycin-loaded superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles: Preparation, magnetic targeting, cell cytotoxicity, and protein delivery research

The clinical use of daunomycin is restricted by dose-dependent toxicity and low specificity against cancer cells. In the present study, modified superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were employed to load daunomycin and the drug-loaded nanospheres exhibited satisfactory size and smart pH-responsive release. The cellular uptake efficiency, targeted cell accumulation, and cell cytotoxicity experimental results proved that the superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle-loading process brings high drug targeting without decreasing the cytotoxicity of daunomycin. Moreover, a new concern for the evaluation of nanophase drug delivery's effects was considered, with monitoring the interactions between human serum albumin and the drug-loaded nanospheres. Results from the multispectroscopic techniques and molecular modeling calculation elucidate that the drug delivery has detectable deleterious effects on the frame conformation of protein, which may affect its physiological function.

Cationic porphyrin@SPION nanospheres as multifunctional anticancer therapeutics: magnetic targeting, photodynamic potential and bio-safety research

Porphyrin@SPION nanospheres are described as pH-controllable, multifunctional photosensitizations with delivery bio-safety.