FeS nanoplates as a multifunctional nano-theranostic for magnetic resonance imaging guided photothermal therapy

In this work, we develop magnetic iron sulfide (FeS) nanoplates as a theranostic agent for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-guided photothermal therapy of cancer. FeS nanoplates are synthesized via a simple one-step method and then functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG). The obtained PEGylated FeS (FeS-PEG) nanoplates exhibit high NIR absorbance together with strong superparamagnetism. The r2 relaxivity of FeS-PEG nanoplates is determined to be 209.8 mM-1S-1, which appears to be much higher than that of iron oxide nanoparticles and several types of clinical approved T2-contrast agents. After intravenous (i.v.) injection, those nanoplates show high accumulation in the tumor as revealed by MR imaging. Highly effective photothermal ablation of tumors is then achieved in a mouse tumor model upon i.v. injection of FeS-PEG at a moderate dose (20 mg/kg) followed by 808-nm NIR laser irradiation. Importantly, it has been found that PEGylated FeS nanoplates after systemic administration could be gradually excreted from major organs of mice, and show no appreciable toxicity to the treated animals even at a dose (100 mg/kg) 5 times as high as that used for imaging & treatment. Our results demonstrate that PEGylated FeS nanoplates may be a promising class of theranostic nano-agents with a good potential for future clinical translation.