Targeted Fluoromagnetic Nanoparticles for Imaging of Breast Cancer MCF-7 Cells.

Purpose: To achieve simultaneous imaging and therapy potentials, targeted fluoromagnetic nanoparticles were synthesized and examined in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Methods: Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized through thermal decomposition of Fe(acac)₃. Then, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) modified by dopamine-poly ethylene glycol (PEG)-NH₂; finally, half equivalent fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and half equivalent folic acid were conjugated to one equivalent of it. The presence of Fe₃O₄-DPA-PEG-FA/FITC in the folate receptor (FR) positive MCF-7 cells was determined via fluorescent microscopy to monitor the cellular interaction of MNPs. Results: FT-IR spectra of final compound confirmed existence of fluorescein on folic acid grafted MNPs. The Fe₃O₄-DPA-PEG-FA/FITC NPs, which displayed a size rang about 30-35 nm using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), were able to actively recognize the FR-positive MCF-7 cells, but not the FR-negative A549 cells. Conclusion: The uniform nano-sized Fe₃O₄-DPA-PEG-FA/FITC NPs displayed great potential as theranostics and can be used for targeted imaging of various tumors that overexpress FR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]