Ultrasmall bimodal nanomolecules enhanced tumor angiogenesis contrast with endothelial cell targeting and molecular pharmacokinetics

作者：Li, Xue; Wu, Menglin; Wang, Jiahui; Dou, Yan; Gong, Xiaoqun; Liu, Yajuan; Guo, Qi; Zhang, Xuening^*; Chang, Jin^*; Niu, Yuanjie^*

来源：Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine , 2019, 15(1): 252-263.

DOI：10.1016/j.nano.2018.10.004

• Tumor angiogenesis
• Molecular imaging
• CT/MR dual-mode
• Ultrasmall nanoparticle
• Molecular pharmacokinetics

Nonintrusive and precise imaging for tumor angiogenesis is critical in accurate assessment of cancer diagnosis and prognosis. However, reticulo-endothelial system (RES) capture and inadequate accumulation remain major bottlenecks for current nanoparticle to retain at tumor angiogenesis site. Herein, we report the ultrasmall contrast agent (cNGR-Au:Gd@GSH NMs) could accumulate at tumor vasculature site and enhance the tumor angiogenesis-contrast. It is demonstrated that by loading Au and Gd atom into the naturally-occurring glutathione (GSH) shell with cNGR peptide modification, cNGR-Au:Gd@GSH NMs exhibit the high X-ray photon absorption, longer rotational correlation time and efficient tumor vascular endothelia cell targeting. In vivo studies further indicate the cNGR-Au:Gd@GSH NMs prominently enhance tumor angiogenesis-contrast both on the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modalities by escaping the RES capture and target delivering. Our data imply that the cNGR-Au:Gd@GSH NMs may serve as the high-efficiency contrast agent to assess tumor angiogenesis in a nonintrusive technique.

• 出版日期2019-1
• 单位天津大学; 天津医科大学