Dual-Mode Avocado-like All-Iron Nanoplatform for Enhanced T₁/T₂ MRI-Guided Cancer Theranostic Therapy.

Abstract

Development of T₁/T₂ dual-mode MRI contrast agents that can also treat cancer is an attractive prospect for personalized precision medicine. Unfortunately, conventional contrast agents can suffer from toxicity and lack any ability to treat cancer. An all-iron T₁/T₂ MR imaging agent with photothermal and drug delivery capability would overcome these issues. Here, an avocado-like Fe³⁺/Fe₂O₃ composed T₁-T₂ dual-mode contrast agent based on Fe-TA coordination network (CNMN) is developed. This material possesses suitable longitudinal and transverse relaxation coefficients. Moreover, the strong heat generation property of Fe-TA endows CNMN with the capability to act as a potent photothermal agent. Furthermore, CNMN can also act as an effective delivery platform for the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX) to achieve high effective chemo-photothermal combination therapy. The work demonstrates reliable T₁-T₂ MRI-guided chemo-photothermal therapy for safe and effective clinical application.