Multifunctional Fe₃O₄@P(St/MAA)@Chitosan@Au\nCore/Shell Nanoparticles for Dual Imaging and Photothermal Therapy

Abstract

Merging different components into\na single nanoparticle can exhibit profound impact on various biomedical\napplications including diagnostics, imaging, and therapy. However,\nretaining the unique properties of each component after integration\nhas proven to be a significant challenge. Our previous research demonstrated\nthat gold nanoshells on polystyrene spheres have potential in photohermal\ntherapy. Here, we report a facile and green strategy to synthesize\na multifunctional nanocomposite with Fe₃O₄ core\ncoated gold nanoshells as dual imaging probes and photothermal agents.\nThe as-prepared nanoparticles exhibit well-defined structure and excellent\nphysical properties such as magnetic and plasmonic activities. Therefore,\nthey were applied as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging\n(MRI) and dark field imaging (DFI). Besides, we demonstrated their\npotential application in photothermal therapy. Moreover, the obtained\nmultifunctional nanoparticles have shown excellent biocompatibility\nfor their low cytotoxicity and hemolyticity.