Nanomaterials (Jan 2024)

Core-Shell Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>@C Nanoparticles as Highly Effective T<sub>2</sub> Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

  • Huan Yue,
  • Dejun Zhao,
  • Tirusew Tegafaw,
  • Mohammad Yaseen Ahmad,
  • Abdullah Khamis Ali Al Saidi,
  • Ying Liu,
  • Hyunsil Cha,
  • Byeong Woo Yang,
  • Kwon Seok Chae,
  • Sung-Wook Nam,
  • Yongmin Chang,
  • Gang Ho Lee

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14020177
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 2
p. 177

Abstract

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Magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) have been intensively investigated because of their potential biomedical applications due to their high saturation magnetization. In this study, core–shell Fe3O4@C NPs (core = Fe3O4 NPs and shell = amorphous carbons, davg = 35.1 nm) were synthesized in an aqueous solution. Carbon coating terminated with hydrophilic –OH and –COOH groups imparted excellent biocompatibility and hydrophilicity to the NPs, making them suitable for biomedical applications. The Fe3O4@C NPs exhibited ideal relaxometric properties for T2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents (i.e., high transverse and negligible longitudinal water proton spin relaxivities), making them exclusively induce only T2 relaxation. Their T2 MRI performance as contrast agents was confirmed in vivo by measuring T2 MR images in mice before and after intravenous injection.

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