Cetuximab-conjugated magneto-fluorescent silica nanoparticles for in vivo colon cancer targeting and imaging.

Magneto-fluorescent silica nanoparticles were conjugated with cetuximab for the targeting and imaging of colon cancer. In this study, cetuximab-conjugated magneto-fluorescent nanoparticles (MFSN-Ctx) could specifically target colon cancer cells that expressed EGFR on their cell membranes, and specific fluorescence was detected. MFSN-Ctx produced significant MRI signal changes in a human colon cancer xenograft mouse model. Intravenous injection of MFSN-Ctx resulted in faster uptake as compared to intraperitoneal injection, indicating that MFSN-Ctx had different kinetic properties in tumors based on the method of injection. The local concentration of MFSN-Ctx in a tumor was amplified by the use of an external magnetic field. These results demonstrate the potential application of MFSN-Ctx for the detection of EGFR-expressing colon cancer using in vivo imaging approaches.