A smart nanoporous theranostic platform for simultaneous enhanced MRI and drug delivery

Use of inorganic nanoparticles is expectedly improving the prospects of chemotherapy and diagnosis. Here, we report a facile approach to synthesize water dispersible, superparamagnetic manganese ferrite (MnFe 2 O 4 ) nanoparticles at relatively low temperature. Subsequently, these MnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles are integrated with acid degradable mesoporous ZnO nanoparticles to attain a platform for simultaneous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and acid triggered anticancer drug delivery. Drug release was evaluated by tuning the pH of buffer solutions to mimic intracellular environment, which demonstrated a biorelevant acid sensitive release behavior. In vitro cell study congruently demonstrated an excellent concentration-dependent cytotoxicity on pancreatic cancer cells, with IC 50 of 3   μg/mL composite concentration. As far as imaging results are concerned, relaxivity value ( r 2 ) value of our system was found to be measurably higher than commercial T 2 MRI contrast agent Ferridex (63.5   mM −1   s −1 ). This smart nanosystem can be a step forward towards the realization of concurrent effective therapy, monitoring of nanocarrier distribution and disease evolution.