Multifunctional Nanoflowers for Simultaneous Multimodal Imaging and High-Sensitivity Chemo-Photothermal Treatment

Liver cancer is currently among the most challenging cancers to diagnose and treat. It is of prime importance to minimize the side effects on healthy tissues and reduce drug resistance for precise diagnoses and effective treatment of liver cancer. Herein, we report a facile but high-yield approach to fabricate a multifunctional nanomaterial through the loading of chitosan and metformin on Mn-doped Fe₃O₄@MoS₂ nanoflowers. Mn-doped Fe₃O₄ cores are used as simultaneous T₁/T₂ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) agents for sensitive and accurate cancer diagnosis, while MoS₂ nanosheets are used as effective near-infrared photothermal conversion agents for potential photothermal therapy. The surface-functionalized chitosan was able not only to improve the dispersibility of Mn-doped Fe₃O₄@MoS₂ nanoflowers in biofluids and increase their biocompatibility, but also to significantly enhance the photothermal effect. Furthermore, metformin loading led to high suppression and eradication of hepatoma cells when photothermally sensitized, but exhibited negligible effects on normal liver cells. Due to its excellent combination of T₁/T₂ MRI properties with sensitive chemotherapeutic and photothermal effects, our study highlights the promise of developing multifunctional nanomaterials for accurate multimodal imaging-guided, and highly sensitive therapy of liver cancer.