Metalla-aromatic loaded magnetic nanoparticles for MRI/photoacoustic imaging-guided cancer phototherapy

Abstract

In this study, metalla-aromatic agents (MA) and a cluster of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIOs) were loaded inside a micellar carrier (Alkyl-PEI2k-PEG), resulting in MA/SPIOs@Alkyl-PEI2k-PEG nanoparticles (MASAs). The prepared MASAs with a photothermal transduction efficiency of 26.6% were also demonstrated as a potential photodynamic sensitizer to generate ROS effectively. Under the guidance of MRI/photoacoustic imaging, combined photothermal and photodynamic therapy achieved a synergistic anti-tumor effect, significantly improving the therapeutic efficacy of MASAs both in vitro and in vivo. This work shows that the developed MASAs are a potential theranostic agent for dual-modal imaging-guided cancer phototherapy.