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Dan Q, Jiang X, Wang R, Dai Z, Sun D. Biogenic Imaging Contrast Agents. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2207090. [PMID: 37401173 PMCID: PMC10477908 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202207090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Imaging contrast agents are widely investigated in preclinical and clinical studies, among which biogenic imaging contrast agents (BICAs) are developing rapidly and playing an increasingly important role in biomedical research ranging from subcellular level to individual level. The unique properties of BICAs, including expression by cells as reporters and specific genetic modification, facilitate various in vitro and in vivo studies, such as quantification of gene expression, observation of protein interactions, visualization of cellular proliferation, monitoring of metabolism, and detection of dysfunctions. Furthermore, in human body, BICAs are remarkably helpful for disease diagnosis when the dysregulation of these agents occurs and can be detected through imaging techniques. There are various BICAs matched with a set of imaging techniques, including fluorescent proteins for fluorescence imaging, gas vesicles for ultrasound imaging, and ferritin for magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, bimodal and multimodal imaging can be realized through combining the functions of different BICAs, which helps overcome the limitations of monomodal imaging. In this review, the focus is on the properties, mechanisms, applications, and future directions of BICAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Dan
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Drug Addiction and Medication SafetyDepartment of UltrasoundInstitute of Ultrasonic MedicinePeking University Shenzhen HospitalShenzhen Peking University‐The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical CenterShenzhen518036P. R. China
| | - Xinpeng Jiang
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringCollege of Future TechnologyPeking UniversityBeijing100871P. R. China
| | - Run Wang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Drug Addiction and Medication SafetyDepartment of UltrasoundInstitute of Ultrasonic MedicinePeking University Shenzhen HospitalShenzhen Peking University‐The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical CenterShenzhen518036P. R. China
| | - Zhifei Dai
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringCollege of Future TechnologyPeking UniversityBeijing100871P. R. China
| | - Desheng Sun
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Drug Addiction and Medication SafetyDepartment of UltrasoundInstitute of Ultrasonic MedicinePeking University Shenzhen HospitalShenzhen Peking University‐The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical CenterShenzhen518036P. R. China
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Hu F, Wang D, Ma X, Hu T, Yue Y, Tang W, Wu P, Tong T, Peng W. Concurrent Dual-Contrast Enhancement Using Fe 3O 4 Nanoparticles to Achieve a CEST Signal Controllability. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:24153-24164. [PMID: 37457473 PMCID: PMC10339402 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c07000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Traditional T2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents have defects inherent to negative contrast agents, while chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) contrast agents can quantify substances at trace concentrations. After reaching a certain concentration, iron-based contrast agents can "shut down" CEST signals. The application range of T2 contrast agents can be widened through a combination of CEST and T2 contrast agents, which has promising application prospects. The purpose of this study is to develop a T2 MRI negative contrast agent with a controllable size and to explore the feasibility of dual contrast enhancement by combining T2 with CEST contrast agents. The study was carried out in vitro with HCT-116 human colon cancer cells. A GE SIGNA Pioneer 3.0 T medical MRI scanner was used to acquire CEST images with different saturation radio-frequency powers (1.25/2.5/3.75/5 μT) by 2D spin echo-echo planar imaging (SE-EPI). Magnetic resonance image compilation (MAGiC) was acquired by a multidynamic multiecho 2D fast spin-echo sequence. The feasibility of this dual-contrast enhancement method was assessed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, ζ potential analysis, inductively coupled plasma, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, vibrating-sample magnetometry, MRI, and a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. The association between the transverse relaxation rate r2 and the pH of the iron-based contrast agents was analyzed by linear fitting, and the linear relationship between the CEST effect in different B1 fields and pH was analyzed by the ratio method. Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) with a mean particle size of 82.6 ± 22.4 nm were prepared by a classical process, and their surface was successfully modified with -OH active functional groups. They exhibited self-aggregation in an acidic environment. The CEST effect was enhanced as the B1 field increased, and an in vitro pH map was successfully plotted using the ratio method. Fe3O4 NPs could stably serve as reference agents at different pH values. At a concentration of 30 μg/mL, Fe3O4 NPs "shut down" the CEST signals, but when the concentration of Fe3O4 NPs was less than 10 μg/mL, the two contrast agents coexisted. The prepared Fe3O4 NPs had almost no toxicity, and when their concentration rose to 200 μg/mL at pH 6.5 or 7.4, they did not reach the half-maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50). Fe3O4 magnetic NPs with a controllable size and no toxicity were successfully synthesized. By combining Fe3O4 NPs with a CEST contrast agent, the two contrast agents could be imaged simultaneously; at higher concentrations, the iron-based contrast agent "shut down" the CEST signal. An in vitro pH map was successfully plotted by the ratio method. CEST signal inhibition can be used to realize the pH mapping of solid tumors and the identification of tumor active components, thus providing a new imaging method for tumor efficacy evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feixiang Hu
- Department
of Radiology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department
of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan
University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China 200032
| | - Dan Wang
- Department
of Ultrasound, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese
Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional
Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. 200071
| | - Xiaowen Ma
- Department
of Radiology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department
of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan
University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China 200032
| | - Tingdan Hu
- Department
of Radiology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department
of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan
University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China 200032
| | - Yali Yue
- Department
of Radiology, Children’s Hospital
of Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China 200000
| | - Wei Tang
- Department
of Radiology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department
of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan
University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China 200032
| | - PuYe Wu
- GE
Healthcare, Beijing, People’s Republic of China 100176
| | - Tong Tong
- Department
of Radiology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department
of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan
University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China 200032
| | - Weijun Peng
- Department
of Radiology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department
of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan
University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China 200032
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Changeable net charge on nanoparticles facilitates intratumor accumulation and penetration. J Control Release 2022; 346:392-404. [PMID: 35461967 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR) effect is a golden strategy for the nanoparticle (NP)-based targeting of solid tumors, and the surface property of NPs might be a determinant on their targeting efficiency. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is commonly used as a shell material; however, it has been pointed out that PEG-coated NPs may exhibit accumulation near tumor vasculature rather than having homogenous intratumor distribution. The PEG shell plays a pivotal role on prolonged blood circulation of NPs but potentially impairs the intratumor retention of NPs. In this study, we report on a shell material to enhance tumor-targeted delivery of NPs by maximizing the EPR effect: polyzwitterion based on ethylenediamine-based carboxybetaine [PGlu(DET-Car)], which shows the changeable net charge responding to surrounding pH. The net charge of PGlu(DET-Car), is neutral at physiological pH 7.4, allowing it to exhibit a stealth property during the blood circulation; however, it becomes cationic for tissue-interactive performance under tumorous acidic conditions owing to the stepwise protonation behavior of ethylenediamine. Indeed, the PGlu(DET-Car)-coated NPs (i.e., gold NPs in the present study) exhibited prolonged blood circulation and remarkably enhanced tumor accumulation and retention than PEG-coated NPs, achieving 32.1% of injected dose/g of tissue, which was 4.2 times larger relative to PEG-coated NPs. Interestingly, a considerable portion of PGlu(DET-Car)-coated NPs clearly penetrated into deeper tumor sites and realized the effective accumulation in hypoxic regions, probably because the cationic net charge of PGlu(DET-Car) is augmented in more acidic hypoxic regions. This study suggests that the changeable net charge on the NP surface in response to tumorous acidic conditions is a promising strategy for tumor-targeted delivery based on the EPR effect.
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Takemoto H, Nishiyama N. Construction of nanomaterials based on pH-responsive polymers for effective tumor delivery. Polym J 2021. [DOI: 10.1038/s41428-021-00542-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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