Tannic acid-functionalized boron nitride nanosheets for theranostics

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Inert nanomaterials lack theranostic capabilities.
• Developing functional nanomaterials for medical imaging and therapy is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a versatile coating for imparting magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) theranostic properties to inert nanomaterials.
• To functionalize boron nitride nanosheets (BNS) using a tannic acid-Fe3+ (TA-Fe) coordination complex.

Main Methods:

• Coating BNS with various catechol derivatives, focusing on TA-Fe complex.
• In vitro studies using KB tumor cells to assess MRI contrast and cell death after NIR laser irradiation.
• In vivo studies involving MRI imaging of tumor accumulation and therapeutic laser ablation.

Main Results:

• TA-Fe/BNS exhibited superior magnetic field relaxivity and NIR responsiveness compared to other coatings.
• TA-Fe/BNS significantly enhanced T1-weighted MRI contrast in tumor cells and increased tumor cell death under NIR irradiation.
• In vivo studies demonstrated targeted tumor accumulation and complete ablation of tumors using MRI-guided laser irradiation.

Conclusions:

• The TA-Fe coordination complex coating effectively converts inert nanomaterials into MRI theranostic agents.
• TA-Fe/BNS shows significant potential for theranostic applications in oncology.
• This noncovalent coating strategy offers a facile method for functionalizing early-generation nanomaterials for biomedical use.