Construction of Multifunctional Fe(3)O(4)-MTX@HBc Nanoparticles for MR Imaging and Photothermal Therapy/Chemotherapy

To accomplish effective cancer imaging and integrated therapy, the multifunctional nanotheranostic Fe(3)O(4)-MTX@HBc core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) were designed. A straightforward method was demonstrated for efficient encapsulation of magnetic NPs into the engineered virus-like particles (VLPs) through the affinity of histidine tags for the methotrexate (MTX)-Ni(2+) chelate. HBc(144)-His VLPs shell could protect Fe(3)O(4)-MTX NPs from the recognition by the reticuloendothelial system as well as could increase their cellular uptake efficiency. Through our well-designed tactic, the photothermal efficiency of Fe(3)O(4) NPs were obviously improved in vitro and in vivo upon near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation. Moreover, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results showed that the Fe(3)O(4)-MTX@HBc core-shell NPs were reliable T(2)-type MRI contrast agents for tumor imaging. Hence the Fe(3)O(4)-MTX@HBc core-shell NPs may act as a promising theranostic platform for multimodal cancer treatment.