Core/shell Fe3O4/Gd2O3 nanocubes as T1-T2 dual modal MRI contrast agents.
T1-T2 dual modal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has attracted considerable interest because it offers complementary diagnostic information, leading to more precise diagnosis. To date, a number of nanostructures have been reported as T1-T2 dual modal MR contrast agents (CAs). However, hybrids of nanocubes with both iron and gadolinium (Gd) elements as T1-T2 dual modal CAs have not been reported. Herein, we report the synthesis of novel core/shell Fe3O4/Gd2O3 nanocubes as T1-T2 dual-modal CAs and their application for enhanced T1-T2 MR imaging of rat livers. A relaxivity study at 1.5 T indicated that our Fe3O4/Gd2O3 nanocubes have an r1 value of 45.24 mM(-1) s(-1) and an r2 value of 186.51 mM(-1) s(-1), which were about two folds of those of Gd2O3 nanoparticles and Fe3O4 nanocubes, respectively. In vivo MR imaging of rats showed both T1-positive and T2-negative contrast enhancements in the livers. We envision that our Fe3O4/Gd2O3 nanocubes could be applied as T1-T2 dual modal MR CAs for a wide range of theranostic applications in the near future.
Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Electronic Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China. bqiu@ustc.edu.cn.
Fenfen
F
Li
Debo
D
Zhi
Yufeng
Y
Luo
Jiqian
J
Zhang
Xiang
X
Nan
Yunjiao
Y
Zhang
Wei
W
Zhou
Bensheng
B
Qiu
Longping
L
Wen
Gaolin
G
Liang