Early diagnosis and
effective treatment of cancer are significant
issues that should be focused on since it is one of the most deadly
diseases. Multifunctional nanomaterials can offer new cancer diagnoses
and treatment possibilities. These nanomaterials with diverse functions,
including targeting, imaging, and therapy, are being studied extensively
in a way that minimize overcoming the limitations associated with
traditional cancer diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, the goal of
this study is to prepare multifunctional nanocomposites possessing
the potential to be used simultaneously in imaging such as magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) and dual cancer therapy such as photothermal
therapy (PTT) and boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). In this context,
multi-core MnFe
2
O
4
nanoparticles, which can
be used as a potential MRI contrast agent and target the desired region
in the body via a magnetic field, were successfully synthesized via
the solvothermal method. Then, multi-core nanoparticles were coated
with polydopamine (PDA) to reduce gold nanoparticles, bind boron on
the surface, and ensure the biocompatibility of all materials. Finally,
gold nanoparticles were reduced on the surface of PDA-coated MnFe
2
O
4
, and boric acid was attached to the hybrid materials
for also possessing the ability to be used as a potential agent in
PTT and BNCT applications in addition to being an MRI agent. According
to the cell viability assay, treatment of the glioblastoma cell line
(T98G) with MnFe
2
O
4
@PDA-Au-BA for 24 and 48
h did not cause any significant cell death, indicating good biocompatibility.
All analysis results showed that the developed MnFe
2
O
4
@PDA-Au-BA multifunctional material could be a helpful candidate
for biomedical applications such as MRI, PTT, and BNCT.