In vivo targeted magnetic resonance imaging and visualized photodynamic therapy in deep-tissue cancers using folic acid-functionalized superparamagnetic-upconversion nanocomposites

Multifunctional nanoprobes used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) also have potential applications in diagnosis and visualized therapy of cancers, and hence it is important to investigate the active-targeting ability and in vivo reliability of these nanoprobes. In this work, folic acid (FA)-targeted, photosensitizer (PS)-loaded Fe3O4@NaYF4:Yb/Er (FA-NPs-PS) nanocomposites were synthesized for in vivo T-2-weighted MRI and visualized PDT of cancers by modeling MCF-7 tumor-bearing nude mice. By measuring the upconversion luminescence (UCL) and fluorescence emission spectra, the as-prepared FA-NPs-PS nanocomposites showed near-infrared (NIR)-triggered PDT performance due to the production of a singlet oxygen species. Moreover, by tracing PS fluorescence in MCF-7, HeLa cells and in MCF-7 tumors, the FA-targeted nanocomposites demonstrated good targeting ability both in vitro and in vivo. Under the irradiation of a 980 nm laser, the viabilities of MCF-7 and HeLa cells incubated with FA-NPs-PS nanocomposites could decrease to about 18.4% and 30.7%, respectively, and the inhibition of MCF-7 tumors could reach about 94.9%. The transverse MR relaxivity of 63.79 mM(-1) s(-1) (r(2) value) and in vivo MR imaging of MCF-7 tumors indicated an excellent T-2-weighted MR performance. This work demonstrated that FA-targeted MRI/PDT nanoprobes are effective for in vivo diagnosis and visualized therapy of breast cancers.