Abstract
BACKGROUND: Ferrosoferric oxide (Fe(3)O(4)) nanoparticles are a commonly used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reagent. Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) is highly expressed on the surfaces of tumors, but its expression is low or absent in the corresponding normal tissues, allowing it to be used for targeted imaging and treatment. METHODS: We prepared Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles using a chemical co-precipitation method, performed coupling with chitosan to prepare LHRH-Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles, and explored the application value of LHRH-Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles in targeted imaging and treatment of breast tumors through in vitro and in vivo experiments. RESULTS: The particle size of the LHRH-Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles was 10 nm, and they could be taken in by human MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The nanomaterial had low cytotoxicity. In vivo MRI experiments showed that LHRH-Fe(3)O(4) could effectively concentrate on the tumor under the action of a magnetic field. It also had a good negative enhancement effect that significantly reduced the signal intensity of the T(2) field, allowing it to be used as a contrast agent of the T(2) field. CONCLUSION: LHRH-Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles serve the purpose of targeting contrast agents to target sites and are expected to be used for targeted imaging and treatment of cancers with high LHRH expression.