Pheomelanin-coated iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles: a promising candidate for negative T2 contrast enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging.

We describe herein a novel type of monodisperse water-soluble magnetite nanoparticle coated with pheomelanin using an environmentally-friendly approach in aqueous medium. The results indicate superparamagnetic behaviour at room temperature and show improved negative contrast in T2-weighted MRI with a transverse relaxivity of 218 mM(-1) s(-1).