Development of Core@Shell γ-Fe 2 O 3 @Mn x O y @SiO 2 Nanoparticles for Hyperthermia, Targeting, and Imaging Applications.

Monodispersed core@shell γ-Fe 2 O 3 @Mn x O y nanoparticles have been prepared through thermolysis of iron and manganese oleate. Further, these prepared nanoparticles are coated with biocompatible substances such as silica and polyethylene glycol. These particles are highly biocompatible for different cell lines such as normal and cancer cell lines. The nanoparticles are used as hyperthermia agents, and successful hyperthermia treatment in cancer cells is carried out. As compared to γ-Fe 2 O 3 @SiO 2 , γ-Fe 2 O 3 @Mn x O y @SiO 2 shows the enhanced killing of cancer cells through hyperthermia. In order to make them potential candidates for targeting to cancer cells, folic acid (FA) is tagged to the nanoparticles. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) is also tagged onto these nanoparticles for imaging. The developed γ-Fe 2 O 3 @Mn x O y @SiO 2 nanoparticle can act as a single entity for therapy through AC magnetic field, imaging through FITC and targeting through folic acid simultaneously. This is the first report on this material, which is highly biocompatible for hyperthermia, imaging, and targeting.