Dendronized metallic oxide nanoparticles, a process for preparing the same and their uses

A functionalized metallic oxide nanoparticle comprising:

• a metallic oxide nanoparticle and at least two compounds selected from the following compounds:
• said compounds being iono-covalently bound to said metallic oxide nanoparticle via the PO3H2 groups
• these compounds can be functionalized by:
• a ligand targeting tumor cells, abnormal cells in respect to their metabolic state or their activation state, or elements constituting an extracellular matrix,
• a radioelement chelant;
• a specific molecule recognition agent, being able to form a complex with said specific molecule, optionally linked to another dendrimer,
• said metallic oxide nanoparticle being:
• a homogenous metallic oxide nanoparticle selected from the group consisting in:
• a metallic oxide of the following formula (II):
• MxOy (II)
• wherein:
• M is Fe,
• x and y are positive integers such as y=(x·v)/2, wherein v is the average oxidation state of M in MxOy,
• a metallic oxide of the following formula (III):
• Fe3-yM′yO4 (III)
• wherein M′ is a metal selected from the group constituted of Zn, Co, Ni and Mg, y being such as 0<y≤1,
• or
• a core-shell metallic oxide nanoparticule,
• said core being selected from the group constituted of:
• a metallic oxide of the following formula (II):
• MxOy (II)
• wherein:
• M is Fe,
• x and y are positive integers such as y=(x·v)/2, wherein v is the average oxidation state of M in MxOy,
• a metallic oxide of the following formula (III):
• Fe3-yM′yO4 (III)
• wherein M′ is a metal selected from the group constituted of Zn, Co, Ni and Mg, y being such as 0<y≤1, said shell being selected from the group constituted of:
• a metallic oxide of the following formula (II):
• MxOy (II)
• wherein:
• M is Fe,
• x and y are positive integers such as y=(x·v)/2, wherein v is the average oxidation state of M in MxOy,
• a metallic oxide of the following formula (III):
• Fe3-yM′yO4 (III)
• wherein M′ is a metal selected from the group constituted of Zn, Co, Ni and Mg, y being such as 0<y≤1,
• Au,
• provided that:
• said core and said shell are not the same metallic oxide,
• said metallic oxide nanoparticle:
• being a magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent, and
• having a sufficient heating power for a magnetic hyperthermia treatment,
• the functionalized metallic oxide nanoparticle being a dendronized nanoparticle operative as both a T2 MRI contrast agent and an agent for hyperthermia therapy.