Multifunctional Fe(3)O(4)-Au Nanoparticles for the MRI Diagnosis and Potential Treatment of Liver Cancer

Heterodimeric nanoparticles comprising materials with different functionalities are of great interest for fundamental research and biomedical/industrial applications. In this work, Fe(3)O(4)-Au nano-heterostructures were synthesized by a one-step thermal decomposition method. The hybrid nanoparticles comprise a highly crystalline 12 nm magnetite octahedron decorated with a single noble metal sphere of 6 nm diameter. Detailed analysis of the nanoparticles was performed by UV-visible spectroscopy, magnetometry, calorimetry and relaxometry studies. The cytotoxic effect of the nanoparticles in the human hepatic cell line Huh7 and PLC/PRF/5-Alexander was also assessed. These Fe(3)O(4)-Au bifunctional nanoparticles showed no significant cytotoxicity in these two cell lines. The nanoparticles showed a good theranostic potential for liver cancer treatment, since the r(2) relaxivity (166.5 mM(−1)·s(−1) and 99.5 mM(−1)·s(−1) in water and HepG2 cells, respectively) is higher than the corresponding values for commercial T(2) contrast agents and the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) value obtained (227 W/g(Fe)) is enough to make them suitable as heat mediators for Magnetic Fluid Hyperthermia. The gold counterpart can further allow the conjugation with different biomolecules and the optical sensing.