Polydopamine-Coated Cu-BTC Nanowires for Effective Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Photothermal Therapy

Herein, we present a one-pot hydrothermal approach for synthesizing metal-organic framework-derived copper (II) benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (Cu-BTC) nanowires (NWs) using dopamine as the reducing agent and precursor for a polydopamine (PDA) surface coating formation. In addition, PDA can act as a PTT agent and enhance NIR absorption, producing photothermal effects on cancer cells. These NWs displayed a photothermal conversion efficiency of 13.32% after PDA coating and exhibited good photothermal stability. Moreover, NWs with a suitable T-1 relaxivity coefficient (r(1) = 3.01 mg(-1) s(-1)) can be effectively used as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. By increasing concentrations, cellular uptake studies showed a greater uptake of Cu-BTC@PDA NWs into cancer cells. Further, in vitro studies showed PDA-coated Cu-BTC NWs possess exceptional therapeutic performance by 808 nm laser irradiation, destroying 58% of cancer cells compared with the absence of laser irradiation. This promising performance is anticipated to advance the research and implementation of copper-based NWs as theranostic agents for cancer treatment.

Automated summary

In this study, metal-organic framework-derived copper (II) benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (Cu-BTC) nanowires were synthesized using a one-pot hydrothermal approach with dopamine as the reducing agent. The nanowires were coated with polydopamine (PDA) for enhanced photothermal effects and NIR absorption. The PDA-coated Cu-BTC NWs showed high photothermal conversion efficiency and stability, and also exhibited potential as MRI contrast agents. Cellular uptake studies demonstrated increased uptake of Cu-BTC@PDA NWs into cancer cells, and in vitro studies showed significant therapeutic effects with laser irradiation. These findings suggest that copper-based nanowires have great potential as theranostic agents for cancer treatment.