| 초록 |
Over the past decades, various inorganic nanoparticles including gold and iron oxide nanocrystals, and quantum dots have drawn significant attention for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. However, their practical use is quite limited due to the lack of the versatile method to endow them with good colloidal stability and biocompatibility. We report herein a bio-inspired approach to surface modification of inorganic nanoparticles using 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (DOPA) conjugated polymers. DOPA is an unusual amino acid abundantly found within mussel adhesive proteins secreted by marine mussels. A key feature of DOPA is the catechol functional group, which forms strong bonds with various metal oxide surfaces. Taking advantages of its strong and specific binding ability, we developed iron oxide nanoparticles coated with PEG and gadolinium chelates for MR imaging. The present strategy is expected to afford functionalization of inorganic nanomaterials for biomedical applications. |
