Lipid functionalized silver-coated carbon dot-capped manganese ferrite as drug-free core-shell nanoparticles for multimodal imaging and therapy.

Background and purpose: Multifunctional nanoparticles (NPs) are gaining significant interest in biomedical research because of their versatility and potential across various applications, especially in cancer imaging and therapy. These composite systems consist of assorted materials, such as metallic elements, metal oxides, polymers, and carbon-based nanostructures, that are combined to form a single platform featuring improved and synergistic properties. Experimental approach: This study aims to design and synthesize a novel class of silver-coated carbon dot-capped manganese ferrite NPs that were functionalized with lipids (L-Ag@MnFe@C) to improve their cytocompatibility and enable cancer therapy with multimodal imaging functionalities. Carbon-capped manganese ferrite NPs (MnFe@C) were synthesized by a one-pot hydrothermal method, followed by the fabrication of nano-silver coated over the surface (Ag@MnFe@C) using a modified Tollens method, and lipid functionalization was done by the rotary evaporation method for the development of low-cost and biodegradable theranostic agents. Key results: The physicochemical characterization reveals that the engineered L-Ag@MnFe@C exhibits a higher stability, with a zeta potential of -50.6 mV, a hydrodynamic diameter of 279.4 nm and a quantum yield of 69.4 %. The engineered NPs exhibit contrast capabilities in longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging, transverse magnetic resonance imaging, fluorescence imaging, and computed tomography imaging. Furthermore, L-Ag@MnFe@C demonstrated excellent anticancer activity on the lung cancer cell line (A549). Conclusion: Based on these studies, it can be concluded that the engineered L-Ag@MnFe@C exhibits multimodal imaging abilities and demonstrates anticancer properties, thereby confirming it as a potential theranostic agent.