AuGd integrated nanoprobes for optical/MRI/CT triple-modal in vivo tumor imagingElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Fig. S1: the TEM statistics for AuGd diameters; Fig. S2: (a) the high resolution-TEM images of the AuGds, (b) the lattice structure image of the typical AuGds. Fig. S3: the EDS spectral analyses of the AuGds; Fig. S4: the UV-vis absorption spectra of FA (black line), BSA (red line), FA-BSA solution (blue line), AuGds (green line) and FA-AuGds (magenta line) with t

• Main Authors: Xu, Chao, Wang, Yaling, Zhang, Chunyu, Jia, Yanwei, Luo, Yunjing, Gao, Xueyun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2040-3364; 2040-3372
• DOI: 10.1039/c7nr01064h

Multi-modal imaging agents are desirable for tumor diagnosis because they can provide more information on the tumor than single-modal imaging agents. However, most reported multi-modal imaging agents are dual-modal agents rather than tri-modal agents; therefore, detailed information on the tumor may still be insufficient when such imaging agents are used. To ameliorate this issue, we synthesized a tri-modal imaging agent, composed of gold cluster and gadolinium oxide integrated nanoparticles (denoted as AuGds) using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the template via a bio-mineralization method. The AuGds exhibit red fluorescence at ∼660 nm for optical imaging, strong X-ray absorption (around 700 HU) for CT imaging, and a high r 1 value (∼12.39 mM −1 s −1 ) for MR imaging. After being chemically modified with folic acid (FA), the AuGds can specifically target folate receptors on KB tumor cells, and permit in vivo optical, MR, and CT imaging of xenografted tumors. By comparing these three imaging modalities, very clear structural and anatomical information on the in vivo tumor can be obtained. The AuGds show good biocompatibility, quick renal clearance, and do not induce normal tissue toxicity in vivo . Multi-modal imaging agents are desirable for tumor diagnosis because they can provide more information on the tumor than single-modal imaging agents.