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Amphiphilic Core–Shell Nanocomposite Particles for Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Author(s) -
Chen Lianghui,
Niu Dechao,
Lee Cheng Hao,
Yao Yuan,
Lui Ki,
Ho Kin Man,
Li Pei
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
particle and particle systems characterization
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.877
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1521-4117
pISSN - 0934-0866
DOI - 10.1002/ppsc.201600095
Subject(s) - nanocomposite , materials science , nanoparticle , magnetic resonance imaging , magnetic nanoparticles , crystallinity , chitosan , particle size , nanotechnology , mri contrast agent , chemical engineering , nuclear magnetic resonance , composite material , radiology , medicine , physics , engineering
A scalable synthesis of magnetic core–shell nanocomposite particles, acting as a novel class of magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents, has been developed. Each nanocomposite particle consists of a biocompatible chitosan shell and a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) core where multiple aggregated γ‐Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles are confined within the hydrophobic core. Properties of the nanocomposite particles including their chemical structure, particle size, size distribution, and morphology, as well as crystallinity of the magnetic nanoparticles and magnetic properties were systematically characterized. Their potential application as an MR contrast agent has been evaluated. Results show that the nanocomposite particles have good stability in biological media and very low cytotoxicity in both L929 mouse fibroblasts (normal cells) and HeLa cells (cervical cancer cells). They also exhibited excellent MR imaging performance with a T 2 relaxivity of up to 364 mM Fe −1 s −1 . An in vivo MR test performed on a naked mouse bearing breast tumor indicates that the nanocomposite particles can localize in both normal liver and tumor tissues. These results suggest that the magnetic core–shell nanocomposite particles are an efficient, inexpensive and safe T 2 ‐weighted MR contrast agent for both liver and tumor MR imaging in cancer therapy.