Preparation of Nano Materials Fe@Fe3O4 and Its Application in Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Liver Functions

Abstract

The strengths of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lied in the strong penetrability, high resolution, no radiation, and non-invasion, while the sensitivity of MRI was too weak to distinguish the normal physiological tissue and pathological tissue. The contrast agent (CAs) was used to enhance the contrast ration of normal tissue and pathological tissue, and raise the precision of the diagnosis. The Ferric oxide with higher magnetic moment has been extensively applied in T2-weighted MRI contrast agents. In the study, the oil soluble nano materials (Fe@Fe3O4) was prepared, and its surface was modified using the large and small molecule ligands, and it was connected to F56 peptide, so as to construct the MRI-specific bimodal contrast agent (Fe–Fe NPs/HYA/F56). While the material was characterized, it can be used in clinical evaluation of liver functions. In the test, as the clad material was growing, the saturation magnetization of the material encountered a drop. The nano particle (Fe@Fe3O4) was modified with functional groups, and no obvious variation occurred to its structure and particle size. The morphology and potential were analyzed to confirm whether F56 peptide was connected to the nano particle (Fe@Fe3O4). The analysis of cell showed that the nano particle (Fe–Fe NPs/HYA/F56) had lower cytotoxicity, and the materials had better targeted performance, which had been verified in the mouse tumor model. The preparation materials were applied in evaluation of clinical studies on liver function. The quantitative analysis of the absolute enhancement value (AEV) and contrast enhancement rate (CER) of liver around the MRI-enhanced cancer was conducted. The results showed, the pathology grade of liver functions (pathological tissue and cirrhotic tissue) was related to the above indicators. The MRI contrast agent can be used to predict the pathology grade.