A facile synthesis of versatile Cu_2-xS nanoprobe for enhanced MRI and infrared thermal/photoacoustic multimodal imaging

A novel type of intelligent nanoprobe by using single component of Cu_2-xS for multimodal imaging has been facilely and rapidly synthesized in scale via thermal decomposition followed by biomimetic phospholipid modification, which endows them with uniform and small nanoparticle size (ca.15nm), well phosphate buffer saline (PBS) dispersity, high stability, and excellent biocompatibility. The as-synthesized Cu_2-xS nanoprobes (Cu_2-xS NPs) are capable of providing contrast enhancement for T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as demonstrated by the both invitro and invivo imaging investigations for the first time. In addition, due to their strong near infrared (NIR) optical absorption, they can also serve as a candidate contrast agent for enhanced infrared thermal/photoacoustic imaging, to meet the shortfalls of MRI. Hence, complementary and potentially more comprehensive information can be acquired for the early detection and accurate diagnosis of cancer. Furthermore, negligible systematic side effects to the blood and tissue were observed in a relatively long period of 3 months. The distinctive multimodal imaging capability with excellent hemo/histocompatibility of the Cu_2-xS NPs could open up a new molecular imaging possibility for detecting and diagnosing cancer or other diseases in the future.