Mesoporous NaYbF₄@NaGdF₄ core-shell up-conversion nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery and multimodal imaging

We developed a facile strategy to obtain a new kind of mesoporous core-shell structured up-conversion nanoparticles (mUCNPs), composed of a NaYbF₄:2%Er core and a mesoporous NaGdF₄ shell. This mesoporous shell not only enhanced the up-conversion luminescence but also endowed many other functionalities of the nanoparticles such as drug delivery and bio-imaging capabilities. Moreover, after being conjugated with polyethylenimine (PEI) and folic acid (FA), core-shell mUCNPs exhibited good water dispersibility, enhanced drug delivery efficiency, and remarkable targeting ability to cancer cells. To certify the folate receptors (FR)-mediated targeted drug delivery, cell viability assay, cell up-conversion luminescence imaging and flow cytometry analysis were carried out. Furthermore, apart from the application for targeted drug delivery, the as-prepared core-shell mUCNPs could also be employed as the contrast agents for X-ray computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, because of the strong X-ray attenuation ability of Yb and high longitudinal molar relaxivity (r₁) of Gd in the nanoparticles, providing the potential for simultaneously bio-imaging and cancer-targeting therapy.