title: Bifunctional Gold Nanoshells with a Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide-Silica Core Suitable for Both MR Imaging and Photothermal Therapy.
abstract: We describe the synthesis, characterization, and use of hybrid nanoparticles with a superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) core and a gold nanoshell. These multifunctional nanoparticles, designated SPIO-Au nanoshells, displayed superparamagnetic characteristics and a significant absorbance in the near-infrared (NIR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In addition, they exhibited high transverse relaxivity,r2, and a larger2/r1ratio and therefore could be imaged by MRI to obtain T2-weighted images. Moreover, SPIO-Au nanoshells showed efficient photo-thermal effect when exposed to NIR light. The use of SPIO-Au nanoshells, with their combination of unique magnetic and optical properties, should enhance the efficacy of nanoshell-mediated photo-thermal therapy by making it possible to direct more nanoparticles to tumors through the application of external magnetic field and by permitting real-timein vivoMRI imaging of the distribution of the nanoparticles before, during, and after photo-thermal therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030.
authors.forename: Xiaojun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030.
authors.forename: Ruping
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030.
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030.
authors.forename: R Jason
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Stafford
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030.
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Esparza-Coss
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bankson
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas 77341.
authors.forename: Gan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Microscopy and Imaging Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843.
authors.forename: Zhi-Ping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712.
authors.forename: Keeseong
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712.
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Markert
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030.
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li