The early diagnosis and simultaneous drug delivery monitored by non-invasive visualization are highly challenging but clinical-relevant for the diagnostics and therapy monitoring of serious diseases such as cancers. Herein, a Gd-doped layered double hydroxide (LDH)/Au nanocomposite has been developed as both a drug carrier and a diagnostic agent. The obtained nanocomposite shows high non-anionic anticancer drug DOX loading capacity and an interesting pH-responsive release profile of loaded DOX. The nanocomposite was found to be able to efficiently transport DOX into the cancer cell, release the DOX in the acidic cytoplasm and then cause death of cancer cells. Meanwhile, the nanocomposite demonstrates better in vitro CF and T-1-weighted MR imaging capabilities than the commercial MRI and CT contrast agents and favorable in vivo CT and T-1-weighted MR imaging performance. After being modified with heparin, the nanocomposite also demonstrates effective CT and MR imagings of tumors by intravenous administration in tumor-bearing mice. Furthermore, the nanocomposite shows negligible cytotoxicity and no detectable tissue damage on mice after injection of high dosage of nanocomposite. In conclusion, the synthetic nanocomposite is expected to be a potential theranostic agent for bimodal imagings of cancers and anti-cancer drug delivery as well. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
[1]Chinese Acad Sci, Shanghai Inst Ceram, State Key Lab High Performance Ceram & Superfine, Shanghai 200050, Peoples R China.
[2]Fudan Univ, Dept Radiol, Shanghai Canc Hosp, Shanghai 200032, Peoples R China.
[3]Fudan Univ, Dept Radiat Oncol, Shanghai Huadong Hosp, Shanghai 200040, Peoples R China.
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