Glypican-3 antibody functionalized Prussian blue nanoparticles for targeted MR imaging and photothermal therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.

MRI-guided photothermal therapy is becoming a more widely accepted minimally invasive technique. In this study, glypican-3 monoclonal antibody functionalized Prussian blue nanoparticles (antiGPC3-PBNPs) were developed as a novel theranostic agent for the targeted MR imaging and photothermal therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma. The physical properties of the antiGPC3-PBNPs were characterized by SEM, TEM and Vis-NIR absorption spectra, which showed that the developed nanoprobe formed well defined nanocubes with an average diameter of 21 nm. The significantly increased targeting cellular uptake efficiency in HepG2 cells via receptor-mediated endocytosis was confirmed by confocal fluorescence microscopy and ICP-MS. Furthermore, the high photothermal cytotoxicity, excellent MR imaging contrast enhancement ability and biocompatibility of the developed nanoprobe were also confirmed. Hence, the developed antiGPC3-PBNPs could be used as a promising nanoprobe for targeted MRI diagnosis and efficient photothermal therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.