Multifunctional Fe3O4@Polydopamine Core–Shell Nanocomposites for Intracellular mRNA Detection and Imaging-Guided Photothermal Therapy

• Published in: ACS nano Vol. 8; no. 4; pp. 3876 - 3883
• Main Authors: Lin, Li-Sen, Cong, Zhong-Xiao, Cao, Jian-Bo, Ke, Kai-Mei, Peng, Qiao-Li, Gao, Jinhao, Yang, Huang-Hao, Liu, Gang, Chen, Xiaoyuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 22.04.2014
• Subjects: Humans; Indoles - chemistry; Intracellular Space - metabolism; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; MCF-7 Cells; Nanocomposites - chemistry; Nanocomposites - therapeutic use; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Photoacoustic Techniques; Polymerization; Polymers - chemistry; Radiotherapy, Image-Guided - methods; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Surface Properties; Temperature; mRNA recognition; magnetic resonance imaging; polydopamine; photoacoustic imaging; multifunctional nanocomposites; photothermal therapy
• ISSN: 1936-0851; 1936-086X
• DOI: 10.1021/nn500722y

Multifunctional nanocomposites have the potential to integrate sensing, diagnostic, and therapeutic functions into a single nanostructure. Herein, we synthesize Fe3O4@polydopamine core–shell nanocomposites (Fe3O4@PDA NCs) through an in situ self-polymerization method. Dopamine, a melanin-like mimic of mussel adhesive proteins, can self-polymerize to form surface-adherent polydopamine (PDA) films onto a wide range of materials including Fe3O4 nanoparticles used here. In such nanocomposites, PDA provides a number of advantages, such as near-infrared absorption, high fluorescence quenching efficiency, and a surface for further functionalization with biomolecules. We demonstrate the ability of the Fe3O4@PDA NCs to act as theranostic agents for intracellular mRNA detection and multimodal imaging-guided photothermal therapy. This work would stimulate interest in the use of PDA as a useful material to construct multifunctional nanocomposites for biomedical applications.