Article Title

Multifunctional FeCo-graphitic carbon nanocrystals for combined imaging, drug delivery and tumor-specific photothermal therapy in mice

Authors

Sarah P. Sherlock, Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Hongjie Dai, Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA

Keywords

Nanocrystals, photothermal therapy, doxorubicin, hyperthermia, magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ultrasmall FeCo–graphitic carbon shell nanocrystals (FeCo/GC) are promising multifunctional materials capable of highly efficient drug delivery in vitro and magnetic resonance imaging in vivo. In this work, we demonstrate the use of FeCo/GC for highly effective cancer therapy through combined drug delivery, tumor-selective near-infrared photothermal therapy, and cancer imaging of a 4T1 syngeneic breast cancer model. The graphitic carbon shell of the ~4 nm FeCo/GC readily loads doxorubicin (DOX) via π–π stacking and absorbs near-infrared light giving photothermal heating. When used for cancer treatment, intravenously administrated FeCo/GC–DOX led to complete tumor regression in 45% of mice when combined with 20 min of near-infrared laser irradiation selectively heating the tumor to 43–45 °C. In addition, the use of FeCo/GC–DOX results in reduced systemic toxicity compared with free DOX and appears to be safe in mice monitored for over 1 yr. FeCo/GC–DOX is shown to be a highly integrated nanoparticle system for synergistic cancer therapy leading to tumor regression of a highly aggressive tumor model.

Graphical Abstract

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-011-0176-z

Publisher

Tsinghua University Press

Recommended Citation

Sarah P. Sherlock,Hongjie Dai, Multifunctional FeCo-graphitic carbon nanocrystals for combined imaging, drug delivery and tumor-specific photothermal therapy in mice. NanoRes.2011, 4(12): 1248–1260