Fabrication of pH-responsive PAA-NaMnF3@DOX hybrid nanostructures for magnetic resonance imaging and drug delivery

摘要

The combination of diagnosis and treatment is considered as a promising strategy to improve the efficiency of cancer treatment. Here, the authors report an intelligent theranostic nanoplatform that combines diagnosis and chemotherapy based on the NaMnF3 nanoparticles (NPs). Poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) modified NaMnF(3)NPs (PAA-NaMnF(3)NPs) were synthesized by a facile and low cost reaction method. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX)-loaded PAA-NaMnF3 (PAA-NaMnF3@DOX) hybrid nanostructures have been successfully developed via electrostatic interaction for dual-functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and pH-responsive drug delivery. The obtained PAA-NaMnF3@DOX hybrid nanostructures could not only act as T-1 and T-2-weighted contrast agents for MRI as a result of the existence of Mn2+ ions but also exhibit a pH-responsive drug releasing behavior, which brings an obvious cytotoxicity to cancer cells via MIT assay. The endocytosis process of PAA-NaMnF3@DOX hybrid nanostructures was further evaluated using optical microscopy. These results demonstrate that the developed PAA-NaMnF3@DOX hybrid nanostructures as a multifunctional theranostic nanoplatform could serve as imaging contrast agents and drug delivery system for cancer imaging and therapy. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.