Journal
ACS NANO
Volume 14, Issue 10, Pages 12840-12853Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c03614
Keywords
Au nanoparticles; Fe nanoparticles; alloys nanomedicine; degradable materials; CT; MRI
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Funding
- University of Padova STARS grant 4NANOMED
- Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Great relevance project [0191594]
- CNR Short-Term mobility program 2018
- CINECA award under the ISCRA initiative
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Several examples of nanosized therapeutic and imaging agents have been proposed to date, yet for most of them there is a low chance of clinical translation due to long-term in vivo retention and toxicity risks. The realization of nanoagents that can be removed from the body after use remains thus a great challenge. Here, we demonstrate that nonequilibrium gold-iron alloys behave as shape-morphing nanocrystals with the properties of self-degradable multifunctional nanomedicines. DFT calculations combined with mixing enthalpy-weighted alloying simulations predict that Au-Fe solid solutions can exhibit self-degradation in an aqueous environment if the Fe content exceeds a threshold that depends upon element topology in the nanocrystals. Exploiting a laser-assisted synthesis route, we experimentally confirm that nonequilibrium Au-Fe nanoalloys have a 4D behavior, that is, the ability to change shape, size, and structure over time, becoming ultrasmall Au-rich nanocrystals. In vivo tests show the potential of these transformable Au-Fe nanoalloys as efficient multimodal contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging and computed X-ray absorption tomography and further demonstrate their self-degradation over time, with a significant reduction of long-term accumulation in the body, when compared to benchmark gold or iron oxide contrast agents. Hence, Au-Fe alloy nanoparticles exhibiting 4D behavior can respond to the need for safe and degradable inorganic multifunctional nanomedicines required in clinical translation.
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