Facile Synthesis of Gadolinium Chelate-Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles for Fluorescence/Magnetic Resonance Dual-Modal Imaging

Fluorescence (FL)/magnetic resonance (MR) dual-modal imaging nanoprobes are significant not only for cutting edge research in molecular imaging, but also for clinical diagnosis with high precision and accuracy. However, synthesis of FL/MR dual-modal imaging nanoprobes that simultaneously exhibit strong fluorescent brightness and high MR response, long-term colloidal stability with uniform sizes, good biocompatibility and a versatile surface functionality has proven challenging. In this study, the well-defined core-shell structured Gd3+ chelate-conjugated fluorescent polymer nano particles (Gd-FPNPs) that consist of rhodamine B (RB)encapsulated poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) cores and Gd3+ chelate-conjugated branched polyethylenimine (PEI) shells, are facilely synthesized via a one-step graft copolymerization of RB-encapsulated MMA from PEI-DTPA-Gd induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) at 80 degrees C for 2 h. The mild synthesis route not only preserves the chemical environment for Gd3+ coordination, but also improves optical properties and chemo-/photostability of RB. A high local concentration of outer surface-chelated Gd3+ dand their direct interactions with hydrogen protons endow Gd-FPNPs high longitudinal relaxivity (26.86 mM(-1) s(-1)). The uniform spherical structure of Gd-FPNPs facilitates their biotransfer, and their surface carboxyl and amine groups afford them both long-term colloidal stability and cell-membrane permeability. The excellent biocompatibility and FL/MR dual modal imaging capability of Gd-FPNPs are demonstrated using HeLa cells and mice as models. All the results confirm that Gd-FPNPs fulfill the design criteria for a high-performance imaging nanoprobe. In addition, this study enables such probes to be prepared also by those not skilled in nanomaterial synthesis, and thus promoting the development of novel functional imaging nanoprobes.