Wenlu Li,1,2,* Yaolin Gong,1,2,* Jing Zhang,1,2 Jiong Liu,1,2 Jiali Li,1,2 Shaozhi Fu,3 Wen Xiu Ren,1,2 Jian Shu1,2 

1Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China; 2Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Wen Xiu Ren; Jian Shu, Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, No. 25 Taiping St, Jiangyang District, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People’s Republic of China, Email xrenwenxiux@swmu.edu.cn; shujiannc@swmu.edu.cn

Introduction: Targeting, imaging, and treating tumors represent major clinical challenges. Developing effective theranostic agents to address these issues is an urgent need.
Methods: We introduce an “all-in-one” tumor-targeted theranostic platform using CuFeSe2-based composite nanoparticles (CuFeSe2@PA) for magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) dual model imaging-guided hyperthermia tumor ablation. Plerixafor (AMD3100) is bonded to the surface of CuFeSe2 as a targeting unit. Due to the robust interaction between AMD3100 and the overexpressed Chemokine CXC type receptor 4 (CXCR4) on the membrane of 4T1 cancer cells, CuFeSe2@PA specifically recognizes 4T1 cancer cells, enriching the tumor region.
Results: CuFeSe2@PA serves as a contrast agent for T2-weighted MR imaging (relaxivity value of 1.61 mM− 1 s− 1) and CT imaging. Moreover, it effectively suppresses tumor growth through photothermal therapy (PTT) owing to its high photothermal conversion capability and stability, with minimized side effects demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo.
Discussion: CuFeSe2@PA nanoparticles show potential as dual-mode imaging contrast agents for MR and CT and provide an effective means of tumor treatment through photothermal therapy. The surface modification with Plerixafor enhances the targeting ability of the nanoparticles, performing more significant efficacy and biocompatibility in the 4T1 cancer cell model. The study demonstrates that CuFeSe2@PA is a promising multifunctional theranostic platform with clinical application potential.

Keywords: tumor targeting, photothermal therapy, dual model imaging, theranostic platform, chemokine cxc type receptor 4