title: Ultrasmall water-soluble metal-iron oxide nanoparticles as T1-weighted contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging.
abstract: Using an improved hydrolysis method of inorganic salts assisted with water-bath incubation, ultrasmall water-soluble metal-iron oxide nanoparticles (including Fe(3)O(4), ZnFe(2)O(4) and NiFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles) were synthesized in aqueous solutions, which were used as T(1)-weighted contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The morphology, structure, MRI relaxation properties and cytotoxicity of the as-prepared metal-iron oxide nanoparticles were characterized, respectively. The results showed that the average sizes of nanoparticles were about 4 nm, 4 nm and 5 nm for Fe(3)O(4), ZnFe(2)O(4) and NiFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles, respectively. Moreover, the nanoparticles have good water dispersibility and low cytotoxicity. The MRI test showed the strong T(1)-weighted, but the weak T(2)-weighted MRI performance of metal-iron oxide nanoparticles. The high T(1)-weighted MRI performance can be attributed to the ultrasmall size of metal-iron oxide nanoparticles. Therefore, the as-prepared metal-iron oxide nanoparticles with good water dispersibility and ultrasmall size can have potential applications as T(1)-weighted contrast agent materials for MRI.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Magnetic Materials and Devices & Division of Functional Materials and Nanodevices, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, China.
authors.forename: Leyong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Wenzhi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Jianjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Aiguo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D003287:Contrast Media; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D012995:Solubility; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D014867:Water; C000499:ferric oxide