Fluorescent carbon dots tailored iron oxide nano hybrid system for in vivo optical imaging of liver fibrosis.

Hybridnanoparticles are innovative invention of last decade designed to overcome limitationsof single-component nanoparticles by introducing multiple functionalities throughcombining two or more different nanoparticles. In this study, we are reporting developmentof magneto-fluorescent hybrid nanoparticles by combining iron oxide and carbonnanoparticles to enable in vivo fluorescenceimaging which also has all the required characteristic properties to use as MagneticResonance Imaging (MRI) contrast agent. In order to achieve dual-functionalimaging, alginate and pullulan coated super paramagnetic iron oxidenanoparticles (ASPION and PSPION) and Carbon dots (Cdts) were synthesisedseparately. ASPIONs and PSPIONs were further chemically conjugated with Cdtsand developed dual-functional nanohybrid particles ASPION-Cdts and PSPION-Cdts.Subsequently, evaluation of the materials for its size, functionalisationefficiency, fluorescence and magnetic properties, biocompatibility and cellularuptake efficiency has been carried out. Fluorescence imaging of liver fibrosiswas performed in vivo in rodent model of liver fibrosis using the twonanohybrids, which is further confirmed by high fluorescence signalfrom the harvested liver.