T1-Weighted MR/CT dual-modality imaging-guided photothermal therapy using gadolinium-functionalized triangular gold nanoprism

Abstract

Multifunctional nanoagents, in particular those that combine diverse diagnostic and therapeutic functions, have attracted great enthusiasm in oncotherapy. In this work, a triangular gold nanoprism decorated with gadopentetic acid (Gd-DTPA) (TGP-PEG-Gd) was constructed for use in cancer theranostics. TGP-PEG-Gd exhibits uniform morphology, excellent monodispersity and near infrared absorbance properties. The magnetic properties of gadolinium, together with the X-ray attenuation of gold, enable TGP-PEG-Gd to be employed for T1-weighted MR/CT dual-modality imaging. The longitudinal relaxivity (r1) of TGP-PEG-Gd was calculated to be 23.1 mM−1 s−1, and its X-ray absorption coefficient was 959.3 HU L g−1. In addition, TGP-PEG-Gd possesses effective photothermal conversion ability, which was utilized for successful photothermal therapy. Moreover, the excellent biocompatibility of TGP-PEG-Gd was proved both in vitro and in vivo. Biocompatible TGP-PEG-Gd may hold promise for the photothermal therapy of cancers guided by MR/CT dual-modality imaging.