Magnetic Nanoclusters Exhibiting Protein-Activated Near-Infrared Fluorescence

Abstract

Composite nanoclusters with chemical, magnetic, and biofunctionality offer broad opportunities for targeted cellular imaging. A key challenge is to load a high degree of targeting, imaging, and therapeutic functionality onto stable metal-oxide nanoparticles. Here we report a route for producing magnetic nanoclusters (MNCs) with alkyne surface functionality that can be utilized as multimodal imaging probes. We form MNCs composed of magnetic Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles and poly(acrylic acid-co-propargyl acrylate) by the co-precipitation of iron salts in the presence of copolymer stabilizers. The MNCs were surface-modified with near-infrared (NIR) emitting fluorophore used in photodynamic therapy, an azide-modified indocyanine green. The fluorophores engaged and complexed with bovine serum albumin, forming an extended coverage of serum proteins on the MNCs. These proteins isolated indocyanine green fluorophores from the aqueous environment and induced an effective "turn-on" of NIR emission.

Indocyanine Green Nanoparticles for Theranostic Applications

“…Moreover, PDT studies indicated the ICG-PA NPs with 780 nm radiation resulted in a statistically significant reduction in cell growth. Based on the results of these studies, Daniele et al further developed protein-activated ICG-magnetic nanoclusters [34]. The magnetic core could provide a MRI signal and ICG-BSA shell show a highly fluorescent imaging ability.…”

Interaction of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with fibrinogen

“…In addition, MNPs have been actively investigated as the next generation of targeted drug delivery and cancer theranostics [6,7]. In the case of MNPs, once they arrive in the bloodstream or tissue interstitial fluids, various proteins bind to MNPs surface by nano-bio interactions [8,9].…”

Nanoparticles Suitable for BCAA Isolation Can Serve for Use in Magnetic Lipoplex-Based Delivery System for L, I, V, or R-rich Antimicrobial Peptides

“…This finding may be applied in the field of nanomedicine, where the more effective ways of targeted delivery are constantly researched. Nanomaghemite in complex offers both a presence as a contrast agent for MRI and/or as a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy [35,36,37]. Moreover, a cationic lipoplex system may be helpful to improve the interactions of peptide-modified metal nanoparticles with bacterial membranes in peptide nanoparticles-based bacterial infection treatment [18], which represents a potential alternative of antibiotics, to which a larger resistance is still observed.…”