Kuo T.Lai W.Li C.Wun Y.Chang H.Chen J.PAN-CHYR YANGChen C.2020-12-022020-12-0220141998-0124https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84900561094&doi=10.1007%2fs12274-014-0420-4&partnerID=40&md5=84d6adb034e4fde09f5ab2baefa344a1https://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/523547Europium-doped gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3:Eu) nanoparticles have been synthesized, and then their surfaces have been conjugated with nucleolintargeted AS1411 aptamer to form functionalized target-specific Gd2O3:Eu nanoparticles (A-GdO:Eu nanoparticles). The A-GdO:Eu nanoparticles present strong fluorescence in the visible range, high magnetic susceptibility, X-ray attenuation and good biocompatibility. The A-GdO:Eu nanoparticles have been applied to test molecular expression of nucleolin highly expressed CL1-5 lung cancer cells under a confocal microscope. Fluorescence imaging clearly reveals that the nanoparticles can be applied as fluorescent tags for cancer-targeting molecular imaging. Furthermore, taking together their excellent T 1 contrast and strong computed tomography (CT) signal, the A-GdO:Eu nanoparticles demonstrate a great capability for use as a dual modality contrast agent for CT and magnetic resonance (MR) molecular imaging. Animal experiments also show that the A-GdO:Eu nanoparticles are able to contrast the tissues of BALB/c mice using CT modality. Moreover, the obvious red fluorescence of A-GdO:Eu nanoparticles can be visualized in a tumor by the naked eye. Overall, our results demonstrate that the A-GdO:Eu nanoparticles can not only serve as new medical contrast agents but also as intraoperative fluorescence imaging probes for guided surgery in the near future. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] ? 2014 Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.aptamer; contrast agent; molecular imaging; nanoparticles synthesis[SDGs]SDG3journal article10.1007/s12274-014-0420-42-s2.0-84900561094