Plasmonic gadolinium oxide nanomatryoshkas: bifunctional magnetic resonance imaging enhancers for photothermal cancer therapy

Nanoparticle-assisted laser-induced photothermal therapy (PTT) is a promising method for cancer treatment; yet, visualization of nanoparticle uptake and photothermal response remain a critical challenge. Here, we report a magnetic resonance imaging-active nanomatryoshka (Gd(2)O(3)-NM), a multilayered (Au core/Gd(2)O(3) shell/Au shell) sub-100 nm nanoparticle capable of combining T(1) MRI contrast with PTT. This bifunctional nanoparticle demonstrates an r(1) of 1.28 × 10(8) mM(–1) s(–1), an MRI contrast enhancement per nanoparticle sufficient for T(1) imaging in addition to tumor ablation. Gd(2)O(3)-NM also shows excellent stability in an acidic environment, retaining 99% of the internal Gd(3). This report details the synthesis and characterization of a promising system for combined theranostic nanoparticle tracking and PTT.