Study on the novel drug vehicle with multimodal imaging function

In this study, a remotely triggered drug vehicle, amphiphilic chitosan (ACS)-Fe ₃O ₄/ZnO micelle, was developed to encapsulate hydrophobic agent and demonstrate dual-modal imaging functionality. The (ACS)-Fe ₃O ₄/ZnO micelles consisting of amphiphilic chitosan (ACS), iron oxide nanoparticles and zinc oxide nanoparticles were prepared by using self-assembly route. Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles and ZnO nanoparticles synthesized from oil phase were self-assembled with an amphiphilic chitosan derivative to form ACS-Fe ₃O ₄/ZnO micelles. The preliminary results showed that the micelles with sizes ranging from 50 to 150 nm were successfully synthesized, which was evidenced via using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The superparamagnetic-micelle could provide valuable fundamental information to support the design and fabrication of multimodal-image-guided drug carriers capable of remotely triggered release.