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Two-dimensional graphene and its composite nanomaterials offer interesting physical/chemical properties and have been extensively explored in a wide range of fields in recent years. In this work, we synthesize a multi-functional superparamagnetic graphene oxide–iron oxide hybrid nanocomposite (GO–IONP), which is then functionalized by a biocompatible polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymer to acquire high stability in physiological solutions. A chemotherapy drug, doxorubicin (DOX), was loaded onto GO–IONP–PEG, forming a GO–IONP–PEG–DOX complex, which enables magnetically targeted drug delivery. GO–IONP–PEG also exhibits strong optical absorbance from the visible to the near-infrared (NIR) region, and can be utilized for localized photothermal ablation of cancer cells guided by the magnetic field. Moreover, for the first time, in vivo magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of tumor-bearing mice is also demonstrated using GO–IONP–PEG as the T2 contrast agent. Our work suggests the promise of using multifunctional GO-based nanocomposites for applications in cancer theranostics.


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A Functionalized Graphene Oxide–Iron Oxide Nanocomposite for Magnetically Targeted Drug Delivery, Photothermal Therapy, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Show Author's information Xinxing Ma1,2,§Huiquan Tao2,§Kai Yang2Liangzhu Feng2Liang Cheng2Xiaoze Shi2Yonggang Li1( )Liang Guo1( )Zhuang Liu2( )
Department of Radiologythe First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversitySuzhouJiangsu215006China
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and DevicesInstitute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials Laboratory (FUNSOM)Soochow UniversitySuzhouJiangsu215123China

§These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract

Two-dimensional graphene and its composite nanomaterials offer interesting physical/chemical properties and have been extensively explored in a wide range of fields in recent years. In this work, we synthesize a multi-functional superparamagnetic graphene oxide–iron oxide hybrid nanocomposite (GO–IONP), which is then functionalized by a biocompatible polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymer to acquire high stability in physiological solutions. A chemotherapy drug, doxorubicin (DOX), was loaded onto GO–IONP–PEG, forming a GO–IONP–PEG–DOX complex, which enables magnetically targeted drug delivery. GO–IONP–PEG also exhibits strong optical absorbance from the visible to the near-infrared (NIR) region, and can be utilized for localized photothermal ablation of cancer cells guided by the magnetic field. Moreover, for the first time, in vivo magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of tumor-bearing mice is also demonstrated using GO–IONP–PEG as the T2 contrast agent. Our work suggests the promise of using multifunctional GO-based nanocomposites for applications in cancer theranostics.

Keywords: magnetic resonance imaging, Graphene oxide, drug delivery, photothermal therapy, magnetic nanocomposite, magnetic targeting

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Publication history
Copyright
Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 11 December 2011
Revised: 01 January 2012
Accepted: 06 January 2012
Published: 11 February 2012
Issue date: March 2012

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by the National Program on Key Basic Research Project (973 Program) (Nos. 2012CB932600, 2011CB911002), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51132006, 51002100, 81171392, 81171394, K112218511), the Natural Science Fund of Jiangsu Province (Nos. 09KJB320016, SBK201122654), and the Natural Science Fund for Colleges and Universities in Jiangsu Province (No. 09KJB320016).

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