Porphyrin–iron oxide nanoparticle functionalized with trastuzumab (ION–PP–TZ) potential MR imaging probe for breast cancer cells

Abstract

In this study, iron oxide nanoparticles coated with porphyrin and functionalized with trastuzumab (ION–PP–TZ) were applied as a new potential probe for magnetic resonance imaging to detect breast cancer cells. This synthesized nanoprobe was applied to breast cancer (MCF-7) cells under both ex vivo and in vivo conditions. The synthesized nanoprobe was administered by systemic injection into C57BL/6 mice. Then, cytotoxicity, T2 relaxation time, image signal intensity, and biodistribution of nanoprobe measurement are performed. At 12 h after injection, it is found that the non-toxic ION–PP–TZ had reduced (83) T2 relaxation times. After 8 h, the signal intensity of mice treated with ION–PP–TZ was lowered by 67 when compared to the control sample. Moreover, ex vivo results of mice organs at 12 h after treatment had a larger concentration of a specific nanoprobe in tumors of mice killed eight hours after injection. Iron accumulation in the tumor side in a specific group was higher than those of other organs. The developed nanoprobe showed significant MR contrast agent ability on MCF-7 in vivo and ex vivo under different conditions. As a result, ION–PP–TZ has the potential as an MR imaging probe for breast cancer (MCF-7) cell detection. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE part of Springer Nature.