Routes to Potentially Safer T-1 Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast in a Compact Plasmonic Nanoparticle with Enhanced Fluorescence

Author(s)

Henderson, Luke ^[1] ; Neumann, Oara ^[2] ; Kaffes, Caterina ^[3] ; Zhang, Runmin ^[4] ; Marangoni, Valeria ^{[1, 5]} ; Ravoori, Murali K. ; Kundra, Vikas ^{[6, 7]} ; Bankson, James ^[3] ; Nordlander, Peter ^[4] ; Halas, Naomi J. ^{[4, 1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Rice Univ, Dept Chem, 6100 Main St, Houston, TX 77005 - USA

^[2] Rice Univ, Dept Elect & Comp Engn, 6100 Main St, Houston, TX 77005 - USA

^[3] Univ Texas MD Anderson Canc Ctr, Dept Imaging Phys, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030 - USA

^[4] Rice Univ, Dept Phys & Astron, 6100 Main St, Houston, TX 77005 - USA

^[5] MackGraphe Mackenzie Presbyterian Univ, Graphene & Nanomat Res Ctr, BR-01302090 Sao Paulo, BR - Brazil

^[6] Univ Texas MD Anderson Canc Ctr, Dept Canc Syst Imaging, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030 - USA

^[7] Univ Texas MD Anderson Canc Ctr, Dept Diagnost Radiol, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ACS NANO; v. 12, n. 8, p. 8214-8223, AUG 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 9

Abstract

Engineering a compact, near-infrared plasmonic nanostructure with integrated image-enhancing agents for combined imaging and therapy is an important nanomedical challenge. Recently, we showed that Au@SiO2@Au nanomatryoshkas (NM) are a highly promising nanostructure for hosting either T-1 MRI or fluorescent contrast agents with a photothermal therapeutic response 3 in a compact geometry. Here, we show that a near-infrared resonant NM can provide simultaneous contrast enhancement for both T-1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and fluorescence optical imaging (FOI) by encapsulating both types of contrast agents in the internal silica layer between the Au core and shell. We also show that this method of T-1 enhancement is even more effective for Fe(III), a potentially safer contrast agent compared to Gd(III). Fe-NM-based contrast agents are found to have relaxivities 2x greater than those found in the widely used gadolinium chelate, Gd(III) DOTA, providing a practical alternative that would eliminate Gd(III) patient exposure entirely. This dual-modality nanostructure can enable not only tissue visualization with MRI but also fluorescence-based nanoparticle tracking for quantifying nanoparticle distributions in vivo, in addition to a near-infrared photothermal therapeutic response. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/13645-2 - Development of cell-membrane coatings for the stealth delivery of MRI-active nanoparticles
• Grantee: Valeria Spolon Marangoni
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate