Gadolinium silicate-coated porous silicon nanoparticles as an MRI contrast agent and drug delivery carrier

A nano-formulation based on gadolinium silicate-coated porous silicon nanoparticles (pSiNPs) is newly disclosed as an MRI contrast agent and drug delivery carrier. In this study, a new surface coating method of pSiNPs using gadolinium ions (Gd3+) was introduced, and the resulting nanoparticles (named pSiNPs-Gd) showed T-1-type MR responses and high drug encapsulation efficacy at the same time. The nanoparticle characterization, MR signal, cytotoxicity, and drug release profile were systematically analyzed. We believe our findings could contribute to the development of multi-functional pSiNPs-based nanotherapeutics and their applications in various fields.