Near IR absorbing bodipy-functionalized SPIONs: a potential magnetic nanoplatform for diagnosis and therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT), especially with the recent advances in photosensitizer (PS) design, has already been established as a noninvasive technique for cancer treatment. Recently, near-IR-based absorbing PSs that have a rising potency to implement light-triggered tumor ablation have attracted much attention since near-IR light in the 650-850 nm range penetrates more deeply in tissues. Up to now, numerous nanomaterials tailored to suitable sizes have been studied for effective delivery of PSs. In this study, four different types of Bodipy-based PSs were covalently attached to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) active, biocompatible, and nontoxic nanocarriers and generation of singlet oxygen capabilities were evaluated. It was demonstrated that these core-shell nanoparticles are promising delivery vehicles of PSs for use in diagnosis and therapy.