Spiky Silver-Iron Oxide Nanohybrid for Effective Dual-Imaging and Synergistic Thermo-Chemotherapy

Nanophotothermal therapy based on nanoparticles (NPs)that convertnear-infrared (NIR) light to generate heat to selectively kill cancercells has attracted immense interest due to its high efficacy andbeing free of ionizing radiation damage. Here, for the first time,we have designed a novel nanohybrid, silver-iron oxide NP (AgIONP),which was successfully tuned for strong absorbance at NIR wavelengthsto be effective in photothermal treatment and dual-imaging strategyusing MRI and photoacoustic imaging (PAI) in a cancer model in vivoand in vitro, respectively. We strategically combine the inherentanticancer activity of silver and photothermal therapy to render excellenttherapeutic capability of AgIONPs. In vitro phantoms and in vivo imagingstudies displayed preferential uptake of folate-targeted NPs in acancer mice model, indicating the selective targeting efficiency ofNPs. Importantly, a single intravenous injection of NPs in a cancermice model resulted in significant tumor reduction, and photothermallaser resulted in a further substantial synergistic decrease in tumorsize. Additionally, biosafety and biochemical assessment performedin mice displayed no significant difference between NP treatment andcontrol groups. Overall, our folic acid AgIONPs displayed excellentpotential in the simultaneous application for safe and successfultargeted synergistic photothermal treatment and imaging of a cancermodel.