Aim: To synthesize and characterize cost-efficient polyethylenimine-entrapped gold nanoparticles loaded with gadolinium (Gd@Au PENPs) for dual-mode computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging applications.
Materials & methods: PEGylated PEI modified with gadolinium (Gd) chelator (DOTA) was used as a template to synthesize the Gd@Au PENPs and the particles were well characterized in terms of their physicochemical properties, cytotoxicity and performances in CT and MR imaging in vitro and in vivo.
Results: The formed Gd@Au PENPs with low cytotoxicity can be used as a highly efficient contrast agent for dual-mode CT/MR imaging of blood pool and major organs of animals.
Conclusion: The designed Gd@Au PENPs may be used as a versatile nanoplatform for dual-mode CT/MR imaging of different biological systems.
Keywords: CT imaging; MR imaging; T1 MR relaxometry; gadolinium; gold nanoparticles; polyethylene glycol; polyethylenimine; x-ray attenuation property.