Synthesis of Cu-Radiolabeled Folate-Conjugated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Cancer Diagnosis.

We report the synthesis of Cu-labeled folate-conjugated magnetic nanoparticles for positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based diagnosis of cancer. The citrate/hydrazine-stabilized Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles measuring ~50 nm were utilized for target synthesis. Radio-thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analysis shows the formation of Cu-labeled nanomaterial with a radiochemical purity of 82.17% and a stability of ~90% in buffer solution and human serum for 24 h. Moreover, the sample exhibited good cellular uptake in breast (SKBR3), oral (KB) and lung (A549) cancer cell lines.