Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-Au Core-Shell Nanoparticles as a Multimodal Platform for In Vivo Imaging and Focused Photothermal Therapy
Carlos Caro,
Francisco Gámez,
Pedro Quaresma,
Jose María Páez-Muñoz,
Alejandro Domínguez,
John R. Pearson,
Manuel Pernía Leal,
Ana M. Beltrán,
Yilian Fernandez-Afonso,
Jesús M. De la Fuente,
Ricardo Franco,
Eulália Pereira,
Maria Luisa García-Martín
Affiliations
Carlos Caro
BIONAND—Centro Andaluz de Nanomedicina y Biotecnología (Junta de Andalucía-Universidad de Málaga), C/Severo Ochoa, 35, 29590 Málaga, Spain
Francisco Gámez
Departamento de Química Física, Universidad de Granada, Avenida de la Fuente Nueva S/N, 18071 Granada, Spain
Pedro Quaresma
REQUIMTE/LAQV, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
Jose María Páez-Muñoz
BIONAND—Centro Andaluz de Nanomedicina y Biotecnología (Junta de Andalucía-Universidad de Málaga), C/Severo Ochoa, 35, 29590 Málaga, Spain
Alejandro Domínguez
BIONAND—Centro Andaluz de Nanomedicina y Biotecnología (Junta de Andalucía-Universidad de Málaga), C/Severo Ochoa, 35, 29590 Málaga, Spain
John R. Pearson
BIONAND—Centro Andaluz de Nanomedicina y Biotecnología (Junta de Andalucía-Universidad de Málaga), C/Severo Ochoa, 35, 29590 Málaga, Spain
Manuel Pernía Leal
Departamento de Química Orgánica y Farmacéutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain
Ana M. Beltrán
Departamento de Ingeniería y Ciencia de los Materiales y del Transporte, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad de Sevilla, Virgen de África 7, 41011 Sevilla, Spain
Yilian Fernandez-Afonso
Instituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón (INMA), CSIC-Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Jesús M. De la Fuente
Instituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón (INMA), CSIC-Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Ricardo Franco
UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Eulália Pereira
REQUIMTE/LAQV, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
Maria Luisa García-Martín
BIONAND—Centro Andaluz de Nanomedicina y Biotecnología (Junta de Andalucía-Universidad de Málaga), C/Severo Ochoa, 35, 29590 Málaga, Spain
In this study, we report the synthesis of gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticles capped with polyvinylpyrrolidone (Fe@Au NPs). The as-synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) exhibited good stability in aqueous media and excellent features as contrast agents (CA) for both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X-ray computed tomography (CT). Additionally, due to the presence of the local surface plasmon resonances of gold, the NPs showed exploitable “light-to-heat” conversion ability in the near-infrared (NIR) region, a key attribute for effective photothermal therapies (PTT). In vitro experiments revealed biocompatibility as well as excellent efficiency in killing glioblastoma cells via PTT. The in vivo nontoxicity of the NPs was demonstrated using zebrafish embryos as an intermediate step between cells and rodent models. To warrant that an effective therapeutic dose was achieved inside the tumor, both intratumoral and intravenous routes were screened in rodent models by MRI and CT. The pharmacokinetics and biodistribution confirmed the multimodal imaging CA capabilities of the Fe@AuNPs and revealed constraints of the intravenous route for tumor targeting, dictating intratumoral administration for therapeutic applications. Finally, Fe@Au NPs were successfully used for an in vivo proof of concept of imaging-guided focused PTT against glioblastoma multiforme in a mouse model.
