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Di Gregorio E, Papi C, Conti L, Di Lorenzo A, Cavallari E, Salvatore M, Cavaliere C, Ferrauto G, Aime S. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (MRI-CEST) Method for the Detection of Water Cycling across Cellular Membranes. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202313485. [PMID: 37905585 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202313485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Water cycling across the membrane transporters is considered a hallmark of cellular metabolism and it could be of high diagnostic relevance in the characterization of tumors and other diseases. The method relies on the response of intracellular proton exchanging molecules to the presence of extracellular Gd-based contrast agents (GBCAs). Paramagnetic GBCAs enhances the relaxation rate of water molecules in the extracellular compartment and, through membrane exchange, the relaxation enhancement is transferred to intracellular molecules. The effect is detected at the MRI-CEST (Magnetic Resonance Imaging - Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer) signal of intracellular proton exchanging molecules. The magnitude of the change in the CEST response reports on water cycling across the membrane. The method has been tested on Red Blood Cells and on orthotopic murine models of breast cancer with different degree of malignancy (4T1, TS/A and 168FARN). The distribution of voxels reporting on membrane permeability fits well with the cells' aggressiveness and acts as an early reporter to monitor therapeutic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enza Di Gregorio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Chiara Papi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Laura Conti
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Antonino Di Lorenzo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Eleonora Cavallari
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Marco Salvatore
- IRCCS SDN SynLab, Via E. Gianturco 113, 80143, Napoli, Italy
| | - Carlo Cavaliere
- IRCCS SDN SynLab, Via E. Gianturco 113, 80143, Napoli, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- IRCCS SDN SynLab, Via E. Gianturco 113, 80143, Napoli, Italy
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2
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Di Gregorio E, Scarciglia A, Amaolo A, Ferrauto G. Mn(iii), Fe(iii) and Zn(ii)-serum albumin as innovative multicolour contrast agents for photoacoustic imaging. Nanoscale Adv 2024; 6:777-781. [PMID: 38298593 PMCID: PMC10825928 DOI: 10.1039/d3na00843f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Here we propose innovative photoacoustic imaging (PAI) contrast agents, based on the loading of Mn(iii)-, Fe(iii)- or Zn(ii)-protoporphyrin IX in serum albumin. These systems show different absorption wavelengths, opening the way to multicolor PA imaging. They were characterized in vitro for assessing stability, biocompatibility, and their optical and contrastographic properties. Finally, a proof of concept in vivo study was carried out in breast cancer bearing mice, to evaluate its effectiveness for cancer imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enza Di Gregorio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Molecular Imaging Center, University of Torino Via Nizza 42 10126 Torino Italy +39 0116708459
| | - Angelo Scarciglia
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Molecular Imaging Center, University of Torino Via Nizza 42 10126 Torino Italy +39 0116708459
| | - Alessandro Amaolo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Molecular Imaging Center, University of Torino Via Nizza 42 10126 Torino Italy +39 0116708459
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Molecular Imaging Center, University of Torino Via Nizza 42 10126 Torino Italy +39 0116708459
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3
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Stefania R, Palagi L, Di Gregorio E, Ferrauto G, Dinatale V, Aime S, Gianolio E. Seeking for Innovation with Magnetic Resonance Imaging Paramagnetic Contrast Agents: Relaxation Enhancement via Weak and Dynamic Electrostatic Interactions with Positively Charged Groups on Endogenous Macromolecules. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:134-144. [PMID: 38152996 PMCID: PMC10785807 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c06275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Gd-L1 is a macrocyclic Gd-HPDO3A derivative functionalized with a short spacer to a trisulfonated pyrene. When compared to Gd-HPDO3A, the increased relaxivity appears to be determined by both the higher molecular weight and the occurrence of an intramolecularly catalyzed prototropic exchange of the coordinated OH moiety. In water, Gd-L1 displayed a relaxivity of 7.1 mM-1 s-1 (at 298 K and 0.5 T), slightly increasing with the concentration likely due to the onset of intermolecular aggregation. A remarkably high and concentration-dependent relaxivity was measured in human serum (up to 26.5 mM-1 s-1 at the lowest tested concentration of 0.005 mM). The acquisition of 1H-nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD) and 17O-R2 vs T profiles allowed to get an in-depth characterization of the system. In vitro experiments in the presence of human serum albumin, γ-globulins, and polylysine, as well as using media mimicking the extracellular matrix, provided strong support to the view that the trisulfonated pyrene fosters binding interactions with the exposed positive groups on the surface of proteins, responsible for a remarkable in vivo hyperintensity in T1w MR images. The in vivo MR images of the liver, kidneys, and spleen showed a marked contrast enhancement in the first 10 min after the i.v. injection of Gd-L1, which was 2-6-fold higher than that for Gd-HPDO3A, while maintaining a very similar excretion behavior. These findings may pave the way to an improved design of MRI GBCAs, for the first time, based on the setup of weak and dynamic interactions with abundant positive groups on serum and ECM proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachele Stefania
- Department
of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino 10126, Italy
- Department
of Science and Technological Innovation, University of Eastern Piedmont, Alessandria 15120, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Palagi
- Department
of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino 10126, Italy
| | - Enza Di Gregorio
- Department
of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino 10126, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department
of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino 10126, Italy
| | - Valentina Dinatale
- Department
of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino 10126, Italy
| | | | - Eliana Gianolio
- Department
of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino 10126, Italy
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4
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Gréa T, Jacquot G, Durand A, Mathieu C, Gasser A, Zhu C, Banerjee M, Hucteau E, Mallard J, Lopez Navarro P, Popescu BV, Thomas E, Kryza D, Sidi-Boumedine J, Ferrauto G, Gianolio E, Fleith G, Combet J, Brun S, Erb S, Cianferani S, Charbonnière LJ, Fellmann L, Mirjolet C, David L, Tillement O, Lux F, Harlepp S, Pivot X, Detappe A. Subcutaneous Administration of a Zwitterionic Chitosan-Based Hydrogel for Controlled Spatiotemporal Release of Monoclonal Antibodies. Adv Mater 2023:e2308738. [PMID: 38105299 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202308738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Subcutaneous (SC) administration of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is a proven strategy for improving therapeutic outcomes and patient compliance. The current FDA-/EMA-approved enzymatic approach, utilizing recombinant human hyaluronidase (rHuPH20) to enhance mAbs SC delivery, involves degrading the extracellular matrix's hyaluronate to increase tissue permeability. However, this method lacks tunable release properties, requiring individual optimization for each mAb. Seeking alternatives, physical polysaccharide hydrogels emerge as promising candidates due to their tunable physicochemical and biodegradability features. Unfortunately, none have demonstrated simultaneous biocompatibility, biodegradability, and controlled release properties for large proteins (≥150 kDa) after SC delivery in clinical settings. Here, a novel two-component hydrogel comprising chitosan and chitosan@DOTAGA is introduced that can be seamlessly mixed with sterile mAbs formulations initially designed for intravenous (IV) administration, repurposing them as novel tunable SC formulations. Validated in mice and nonhuman primates (NHPs) with various mAbs, including trastuzumab and rituximab, the hydrogel exhibited biodegradability and biocompatibility features. Pharmacokinetic studies in both species demonstrated tunable controlled release, surpassing the capabilities of rHuPH20, with comparable parameters to the rHuPH20+mAbs formulation. These findings signify the potential for rapid translation to human applications, opening avenues for the clinical development of this novel SC biosimilar formulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Gréa
- Institut Lumière Matière, UMR 5306, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1-CNRS, University of Lyon, Villeurbanne Cedex, 69622, France
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSA Lyon, Jean Monnet University, CNRS, UMR 5223 Ingénierie des Matériaux Polymères (IMP), Villeurbanne Cedex, 69622, France
| | - Guillaume Jacquot
- Institute of Cancerology Strasbourg Europe (ICANS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Nano-H, St Quentin Fallavier, 38070, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Arthur Durand
- Institut Lumière Matière, UMR 5306, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1-CNRS, University of Lyon, Villeurbanne Cedex, 69622, France
- MexBrain, 13 avenue Albert Einstein, Villeurbanne, 69100, France
| | - Clélia Mathieu
- Institute of Cancerology Strasbourg Europe (ICANS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Adeline Gasser
- Institute of Cancerology Strasbourg Europe (ICANS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Chen Zhu
- Institute of Cancerology Strasbourg Europe (ICANS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Equipe de Synthèse Pour l'Analyse, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), UMR 7178 CNRS/University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, Cedex 2 67087, France
| | - Mainak Banerjee
- Institute of Cancerology Strasbourg Europe (ICANS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Equipe de Synthèse Pour l'Analyse, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), UMR 7178 CNRS/University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, Cedex 2 67087, France
| | - Elyse Hucteau
- Institute of Cancerology Strasbourg Europe (ICANS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Biomedicine Research Centre of Strasbourg (CRBS), Mitochondria, oxidative stress, and muscular protection laboratory (UR 3072), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Joris Mallard
- Institute of Cancerology Strasbourg Europe (ICANS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Biomedicine Research Centre of Strasbourg (CRBS), Mitochondria, oxidative stress, and muscular protection laboratory (UR 3072), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Pedro Lopez Navarro
- Institute of Cancerology Strasbourg Europe (ICANS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Bogdan V Popescu
- Institute of Cancerology Strasbourg Europe (ICANS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Eloise Thomas
- LAGEPP University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR 5007, Villeurbanne Cedex, 69622, France
| | - David Kryza
- LAGEPP University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR 5007, Villeurbanne Cedex, 69622, France
- Imthernat Plateform, Hospices Civils of Lyon, Lyon, 69002, France
| | - Jacqueline Sidi-Boumedine
- LAGEPP University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR 5007, Villeurbanne Cedex, 69622, France
- Imthernat Plateform, Hospices Civils of Lyon, Lyon, 69002, France
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, 10124, Italy
| | - Eliana Gianolio
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, 10124, Italy
| | - Guillaume Fleith
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron (UPR 22), 23 rue du Loess, 67034, Strasbourg Cedex 2, BP 84047, France
| | - Jérôme Combet
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron (UPR 22), 23 rue du Loess, 67034, Strasbourg Cedex 2, BP 84047, France
| | | | - Stéphane Erb
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, IPHC UMR 7178, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, 67087, France
- Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI - FR2048, Strasbourg, 67087, France
| | - Sarah Cianferani
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, IPHC UMR 7178, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, 67087, France
- Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI - FR2048, Strasbourg, 67087, France
| | - Loïc J Charbonnière
- Equipe de Synthèse Pour l'Analyse, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), UMR 7178 CNRS/University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, Cedex 2 67087, France
| | - Lyne Fellmann
- SILABE, Université of Strasbourg, fort Foch, Niederhausbergen, 67207, France
| | - Céline Mirjolet
- Radiation Oncology Department, Preclinical Radiation Therapy and Radiobiology Unit, Centre Georges-François Leclerc, Unicancer, Dijon, 21000, France
- TIReCS team, INSERM UMR 1231, Dijon, 21000, France
| | - Laurent David
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSA Lyon, Jean Monnet University, CNRS, UMR 5223 Ingénierie des Matériaux Polymères (IMP), Villeurbanne Cedex, 69622, France
| | - Olivier Tillement
- Institut Lumière Matière, UMR 5306, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1-CNRS, University of Lyon, Villeurbanne Cedex, 69622, France
| | - François Lux
- Institut Lumière Matière, UMR 5306, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1-CNRS, University of Lyon, Villeurbanne Cedex, 69622, France
- University Institute of France (IUF), Paris, 75231, France
| | - Sébastien Harlepp
- Institute of Cancerology Strasbourg Europe (ICANS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Xavier Pivot
- Institute of Cancerology Strasbourg Europe (ICANS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Alexandre Detappe
- Institute of Cancerology Strasbourg Europe (ICANS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Equipe de Synthèse Pour l'Analyse, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), UMR 7178 CNRS/University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, Cedex 2 67087, France
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5
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Di Gregorio E, Rosa E, Ferrauto G, Diaferia C, Gallo E, Accardo A, Terreno E. Development of cationic peptide-based hydrogels loaded with iopamidol for CEST-MRI detection. J Mater Chem B 2023; 11:7435-7441. [PMID: 37435712 DOI: 10.1039/d3tb00187c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Peptide-based hydrogels have been recently investigated as materials for biomedical applications like tissue engineering and delivery of drugs and imaging agents. Among the synthetic peptide hydrogelators, the cationic hexapeptides Ac-K1 and Ac-K2 were proposed as scaffolds for bioprinting applications. Here, we report the formulation of Ac-K1 and Ac-K2 hydrogels loaded with iopamidol, an iodinated contrast agent clinically approved for X-ray computed tomography, and more recently identified as an efficient CEST-MRI probe. Iopamidol-loaded hydrogels were soft, injectable and non-toxic both in vitro (on three tumor cell lines: GL261, TS/A and 3T3-NIH) and in vivo (in Balb/c mice inoculated with TS/A breast cancer cells). The in vitro CEST-MRI study evidenced the typical features of the CEST pattern of iopamidol, with a CEST contrast higher than 50%. Due to their injectability and good ability to retain the contrast agent, the herein investigated systems can be considered as promising candidates for the development of smart MRI detectable hydrogels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enza Di Gregorio
- Molecular and Preclinical Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, Turin, Italy.
| | - Elisabetta Rosa
- Department of Pharmacy and Interuniversity Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides (CIRPeB) "Carlo Pedone", University of Naples "Federico II", Via D. Montesano 49, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular and Preclinical Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, Turin, Italy.
| | - Carlo Diaferia
- Department of Pharmacy and Interuniversity Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides (CIRPeB) "Carlo Pedone", University of Naples "Federico II", Via D. Montesano 49, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Enrico Gallo
- IRCCS Synlab SDN, Via Gianturco 113, Naples, 80143, Italy
| | - Antonella Accardo
- Department of Pharmacy and Interuniversity Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides (CIRPeB) "Carlo Pedone", University of Naples "Federico II", Via D. Montesano 49, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Enzo Terreno
- Molecular and Preclinical Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, Turin, Italy.
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6
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Ferrauto G, Terreno E. Compartmentalized agents: A powerful strategy for enhancing the detection sensitivity of chemical exchange saturation transfer contrast. NMR Biomed 2023; 36:e4791. [PMID: 35731545 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Since the very beginnings of the chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) technique, poor overall sensitivity has appeared to be one of its strongest limitations for future applications. Research has therefore focused on designing systems, such as supramolecular and nanosized agents, that contain a high number of magnetically equivalent mobile spins. However, the number of mobile spins offered by these systems is still limited by their composition and surface/volume ratio. The design of compartmentalized agents, that is, systems where an aqueous inner core is separated from the MRI-detected bulk pool via a semipermeable barrier/membrane, is very much a step forward for the technique. These vesicular systems can (i) act as biocompatible and versatile carriers for dia-, para-, and hetero-nuclear CEST probes, thus offering new application options; and (ii) act as CEST probes themselves via the encapsulation of a suitable agent (e.g., a paramagnetic shift reagent) that can change the resonance frequency of the spin pool in the inner compartment only. LipoCEST agents were the pioneers in the latter category, as they are able to grant picomolar sensitivity (in terms of nanoparticle concentration), and paved the way for new applications for CEST agents, especially in the theranostic research area. The use of larger, natural vesicular systems, such as yeasts and cells, in which the huge number of intravesicular spins lowers the detection threshold to a femtomolar limit, is a further step forward in the development of compartmentalized CEST agents. Finally, interesting combinations of nanovesicular and cellular compartmentalized systems have been proposed, thus highlighting how the approach has the potential to drive CEST agents towards completing their journey to mature clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Center for Molecular and Preclinical Imaging, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Enzo Terreno
- Center for Molecular and Preclinical Imaging, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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7
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Di Gregorio E, Romiti C, Di Lorenzo A, Cavallo F, Ferrauto G, Conti L. RGD_PLGA Nanoparticles with Docetaxel: A Route for Improving Drug Efficiency and Reducing Toxicity in Breast Cancer Treatment. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 15:cancers15010008. [PMID: 36612006 PMCID: PMC9817983 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15010008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Although many therapeutic approaches are available, systemic chemotherapy remains the primary choice, especially for triple-negative and advanced breast cancers. Unfortunately, systemic chemotherapy causes serious side effects and requires high doses to achieve an effective concentration in the tumor. Thus, the use of nanosystems for drug delivery may overcome these limitations. Herein, we formulated Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (PLGA-NPs) containing Docetaxel, a fluorescent probe, and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) probe. The cyclic RGD tripeptide was linked to the PLGA surface to actively target αvβ3 integrins, which are overexpressed in breast cancer. PLGA-NPs were characterized using dynamic light scattering, fast field-cycling 1H-relaxometry, and 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance. Their therapeutic effects were assessed both in vitro in triple-negative and HER2+ breast cancer cells, and in vivo in murine models. In vivo MRI and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry of excised tumors revealed a stronger accumulation of PLGA-NPs in the RGD_PLGA group. Targeted PLGAs have improved therapeutic efficacy and strongly reduced cardiac side effects compared to free Docetaxel. In conclusion, RGD-PLGA is a promising system for breast cancer treatment, with positive outcome in terms of therapeutic efficiency and reduction in side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enza Di Gregorio
- Correspondence: (E.D.G.); (A.D.L.); Tel.: +39-011-6708459 (E.D.G.); +39-011-6706458 (A.D.L.)
| | | | - Antonino Di Lorenzo
- Correspondence: (E.D.G.); (A.D.L.); Tel.: +39-011-6708459 (E.D.G.); +39-011-6706458 (A.D.L.)
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8
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Di Lorenzo A, Bolli E, Ruiu R, Ferrauto G, Di Gregorio E, Avalle L, Savino A, Poggio P, Merighi IF, Riccardo F, Brancaccio M, Quaglino E, Cavallo F, Conti L. Toll-like receptor 2 promotes breast cancer progression and resistance to chemotherapy. Oncoimmunology 2022; 11:2086752. [PMID: 35756841 PMCID: PMC9225225 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2022.2086752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the main drivers of disease progression and chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer. Tumor progression and chemoresistance might then be prevented by CSC-targeted therapies. We previously demonstrated that Toll-like Receptor (TLR)2 is overexpressed in CSCs and fuels their self-renewal. Here, we show that high TLR2 expression is linked to poor prognosis in breast cancer patients, therefore representing a candidate target for breast cancer treatment. By using a novel mammary cancer-prone TLR2KO mouse model, we demonstrate that TLR2 is required for CSC pool maintenance and for regulatory T cell induction. Accordingly, cancer-prone TLR2KO mice display delayed tumor onset and increased survival. Transplantation of TLR2WT and TLR2KO cancer cells in either TLR2WT or TLR2KO hosts shows that tumor initiation is mostly sustained by TLR2 expression in cancer cells. TLR2 host deficiency partially impairs cancer cell growth, implying a pro-tumorigenic effect of TLR2 expression in immune cells. Finally, we demonstrate that doxorubicin-induced release of HMGB1 activates TLR2 signaling in cancer cells, leading to a chemotherapy-resistant phenotype. Unprecedented use of TLR2 inhibitors in vivo reduces tumor growth and potentiates doxorubicin efficacy with no negative impact on the host immune system, opening new perspectives for the treatment of breast cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonino Di Lorenzo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Bolli
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Roberto Ruiu
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Enza Di Gregorio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Lidia Avalle
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Pietro Poggio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Irene Fiore Merighi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Federica Riccardo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Mara Brancaccio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Elena Quaglino
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Federica Cavallo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Laura Conti
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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9
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Di Gregorio E, Arena F, Gianolio E, Ferrauto G, Aime S. The interaction between iodinated X‐ray contrast agents and macrocyclic
GBCAs
provides a signal enhancement in
T
1
‐weighted MR
images: Insights into the renal excretion pathways of
Gd‐HPDO3A
and iodixanol in healthy mice. Magn Reson Med 2022; 88:357-364. [PMID: 35253921 PMCID: PMC9314041 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Purpose This work aims to investigate the supramolecular binding interactions that occur between iodinated X‐ray contrast agents (CAs) and macrocyclic gadolinium (Gd)–based MRI contrast agents (GBCAs). This study provides some new insights in the renal excretion pathways of the two types of imaging probes. Methods The water‐proton relaxivities (r1) of clinically approved macrocyclic and linear GBCAs have been measured in the presence of different iodinated X‐ray contrast agents at different magnetic field strengths in buffer and in serum. The in vivo MRI and X‐ray CT of mice injected with either Gd‐HPDO3A or a Gd‐HPDO3A + iodixanol mixture were then acquired to assess the biodistribution of the two probes. Results A significant increase in r1 (up to approximately 200%) was observed for macrocyclic GBCAs when measured in the presence of an excess of iodinated X‐ray CAs (1:100 mol:mol) in serum. The co‐administration of Gd‐HPDO3A and iodixanol in vivo resulted in a marked increase in the signal intensity of the kidney regions in T1‐weighted MR images. Moreover, the co‐presence of the two agents resulted in the extended persistence of the MRI signal enhancement, suggesting that the Gd‐HPDO3A/iodixanol adduct was eliminated more slowly than the typical washing out of Gd‐HPDO3A. Conclusions The reported results show that it is possible to detect the co‐presence of iodinated agents and macrocyclic GBCAs in contrast‐enhanced MR images. The new information may be useful in the design of novel experiments toward improved diagnostic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enza Di Gregorio
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences University of Turin Turin Italy
| | - Francesca Arena
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences University of Turin Turin Italy
| | - Eliana Gianolio
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences University of Turin Turin Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences University of Turin Turin Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Istituto di ricovero e cura a carattere scientifico Naples Italy
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10
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Di Gregorio E, Boccalon M, Furlan C, Gianolio E, Benyei A, Aime S, Baranyai Z, Ferrauto G. Studies of the hydrophobic interaction between a pyrene - containing dye and a tetra-aza macrocyclic gadolinium complex. Inorg Chem Front 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d2qi00596d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
An in vivo and in vitro investigation of the hydrophobic interaction between HPTS and gadolinium(III)-complex of tetra-aza macrocyclic ligand HP-DO3A‡ (Gd(HP-DO3A)) is reported. UV-spectra at variable pH showed that the...
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11
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Abstract
Novel Mn(II)-based nanoprobes were rationally designed as high contrast enhancing agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and obtained by anchoring a Mn(II)-CDTA derivative to the surface of organo-modified silica nanoparticles (SiNPs). Large payloads of paramagnetic metal-chelates have been immobilized on biocompatible SiNPs with spherical shape and narrow size distribution of 80-90 nm, resulting in a relaxivity gain of 250% at clinical fields (0.5 T) as compared to the free chelate. Such substantial efficacy enhancement of the nanoprobes is mainly attributed to the restriction of the rotational dynamics of the conjugated complex, as revealed by comprehensive 1H-NMR relaxometric investigations. The paramagnetic nanospheres exhibit good colloidal stability over time in biological matrices, allowing for MRI applications. High image contrast was found in T1w-MRI images collected at 1 T on phantoms containing relatively small amounts of contrast agent (CA), for which low cellular toxicity was observed on three different cell lines. Preliminary in vivo studies on healthy mice demonstrated the efficiency of the novel Mn-based silica nanoparticle as T1w-MRI probes, resulting in significant contrast enhancement in the liver. These findings demonstrate that these novel Mn-SiNPs are high efficacy CAs suitable for preclinical MRI applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Lalli
- Magnetic Resonance Platform (PRISMA-UPO), Department of Sciences and Technological Innovation, University of Eastern Piedmont "Amedeo Avogadro", Viale Teresa Michel 11, 15121-Alessandria, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Enzo Terreno
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Fabio Carniato
- Magnetic Resonance Platform (PRISMA-UPO), Department of Sciences and Technological Innovation, University of Eastern Piedmont "Amedeo Avogadro", Viale Teresa Michel 11, 15121-Alessandria, Italy.
| | - Mauro Botta
- Magnetic Resonance Platform (PRISMA-UPO), Department of Sciences and Technological Innovation, University of Eastern Piedmont "Amedeo Avogadro", Viale Teresa Michel 11, 15121-Alessandria, Italy.
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12
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Ferrauto G, Tripepi M, Di Gregorio E, Bitonto V, Aime S, Delli Castelli D. Detection of U-87 Tumor Cells by RGD-Functionalized/Gd-Containing Giant Unilamellar Vesicles in Magnetization Transfer Contrast Magnetic Resonance Images. Invest Radiol 2021; 56:301-312. [PMID: 33273375 DOI: 10.1097/rli.0000000000000742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The targeting of tumor cells and their visualization with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important task in biomedicine. The low sensitivity of this technique is a significant drawback and one that may hamper the detection of the imaging reporters used.To overcome this sensitivity issue, this work explores the synergy between 2 strategies: (1) arginine, glycine, aspartic acid peptide (RGD)-functionalized giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) loaded with Gd complexes to accumulate large amounts of MRI contrast agent at the targeting site; and (2) the use of magnetization transfer contrast (MTC), which is a sensitive MRI technique for the detection of Gd complexes in the tumor region. MATERIALS AND METHODS Giant unilamellar vesicles were prepared using the gentle swelling method, and the cyclic RGD targeting moiety was introduced onto the external membrane. Paramagnetic Gd-containing complexes and the fluorescent probe rhodamine were both part of the vesicle membranes and Gd-complexes were also the payload within the inner aqueous cavity. Giant unilamellar vesicles that were loaded with the imaging reporters, but devoid of the RGD targeting moiety, were used as controls. U-87 MG human glioblastoma cells, which are known to overexpress the targets for RGD moieties, were used. In the in vivo experiments, U-87 MG cells were subcutaneously injected into nu/nu mice, and the generated tumors were imaged using MRI, 15 days after cell administration. Magnetic resonance imaging was carried out at 7 T, and T2W, T1W, and MTC/Z-spectra were acquired. Confocal microscopy images and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) were used for result validation. RESULTS In vitro results show that RGD GUVs specifically bind to U-87 MG cells. Microscopy demonstrates that (1) RGD GUVs were anchored onto the external surface of the tumor cells without any internalization; (2) a low number of GUVs per cell were clustered at specific regions; and (3) there is no evidence for macrophage uptake or cell toxicity. The MRI of cell pellets after incubation with RGD GUVs and untargeted ctrl-GUVs was performed. No difference in T1 signal was detected, whereas a 15% difference in MT contrast is present between the RGD GUV-treated cells and the ctrl-GUV-treated cells.Magnetic resonance imaging scans of tumor-bearing mice were acquired before and after (t = 0, 4 hours and 24 hours) the administration of RGD GUVs and ctrl-GUVs. A roughly 16% MTC difference between the 2 groups was observed after 4 hours. Immunofluorescence analyses and ICP-MS analyses (for Gd-detection) of the explanted tumors confirmed the specific accumulation of RGD GUVs in the tumor region. CONCLUSIONS RGD GUVs seem to be interesting carriers that can facilitate the specific accumulation of MRI contrast agents at the tumor region. However, the concentration achieved is still below the threshold needed for T1w-MRI visualization. Conversely, MTC proved to be sufficiently sensitive for the visualization of detectable contrast between pretargeting and posttargeting images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- From the Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Imaging Center, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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13
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Di Gregorio E, Lattuada L, Maiocchi A, Aime S, Ferrauto G, Gianolio E. Supramolecular adducts between macrocyclic Gd(iii) complexes and polyaromatic systems: a route to enhance the relaxivity through the formation of hydrophobic interactions. Chem Sci 2020; 12:1368-1377. [PMID: 34163900 PMCID: PMC8179163 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc03504a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The set-up of reversible binding interactions between the hydrophobic region of macrocyclic GBCAs (Gadolinium Based Contrast Agents) and SO3 -/OH containing pyrene derivatives provides new insights for pursuing relaxivity enhancements of this class of MRI contrast agents. The strong binding affinity allows attaining relaxation enhancements up to 50% at pyrene/GBCA ratios of 3 : 1. High resolution NMR spectra of the Yb-HPDO3A/pyrene system fully support the formation of a supramolecular adduct based on the set-up of hydrophobic interactions. The relaxation enhancement may be accounted for in terms of the increase of the molecular reorientation time (τ R) and the number of second sphere water molecules. This effect is maintained in blood serum and in vivo, as shown by the enhancement of contrast in T 1w-MR images obtained by simultaneous injection of GBCA and pyrene derivatives in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enza Di Gregorio
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino Via Nizza 52 Torino 10126 Italy
| | - Luciano Lattuada
- Bracco Imaging Spa, Bracco Research Centre Via Ribes 5 Colleretto Giacosa TO 10010 Italy
| | - Alessandro Maiocchi
- Bracco Imaging Spa, Bracco Research Centre Via Ribes 5 Colleretto Giacosa TO 10010 Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino Via Nizza 52 Torino 10126 Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino Via Nizza 52 Torino 10126 Italy
| | - Eliana Gianolio
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino Via Nizza 52 Torino 10126 Italy
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14
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Leone L, Boccalon M, Ferrauto G, Fábián I, Baranyai Z, Tei L. Acid-catalyzed proton exchange as a novel approach for relaxivity enhancement in Gd-HPDO3A-like complexes. Chem Sci 2020; 11:7829-7835. [PMID: 34123071 PMCID: PMC8163333 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc02174a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
A current challenge in medical diagnostics is how to obtain high MRI relaxation enhancement using GdIII-based contrast agents (CAs) containing the minimum concentration of GdIII ions. We report that in GdHPDO3A-like complexes a primary amide group located in close proximity to the coordinated hydroxyl group can provide a strong relaxivity enhancement at slightly acidic pH. A maximum relaxivity of r1 = 9.8 mM−1 s−1 (20 MHz, 298 K) at acidic pH was achieved, which is more than double that of clinically approved MRI contrast agents under identical conditions. This effect was found to strongly depend on the number of amide protons, i.e. it decreases with a secondary amide group and almost completely vanishes with a tertiary amide. This relaxivity enhancement is attributed to an acid-catalyzed proton exchange process between the metal-coordinated OH group, the amide protons and second sphere water molecules. The mechanism and kinetics of the corresponding H+ assisted exchange process are discussed in detail and a novel simultaneous double-site proton exchange mechanism is proposed. Furthermore, 1H and 17O NMR relaxometry, Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) on the corresponding EuIII complexes, and thermodynamic and kinetic studies are reported. These highlight the optimal physico-chemical properties required to achieve high relaxivity with this series of GdIII-complexes. Thus, proton exchange provides an important opportunity to enhance the relaxivity of contrast agents, providing that labile protons close to the paramagnetic center can contribute. A novel GdHPDO3A-like complex featuring primary amide side chain induces extraordinary high relaxivity by virtue of a simultaneous double-site proton exchange mechanism under slight acidic conditions.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Loredana Leone
- Department of Science and Technological Innovation, Università del Piemonte Orientale Viale T. Michel 11 15121 Alessandria Italy
| | - Mariangela Boccalon
- Bracco Imaging SpA, Bracco Research Center Via Ribes 5 10010 Colleretto Giacosa TO Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Science, University of Turin Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - István Fábián
- Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, MTA-DE Redox and Homogeneous Catalytic Reaction Mechanisms Research Group, University of Debrecen Egyetem tér 1. H-4032 Debrecen Hungary
| | - Zsolt Baranyai
- Bracco Imaging SpA, Bracco Research Center Via Ribes 5 10010 Colleretto Giacosa TO Italy
| | - Lorenzo Tei
- Department of Science and Technological Innovation, Università del Piemonte Orientale Viale T. Michel 11 15121 Alessandria Italy
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15
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Di Gregorio E, Ferrauto G, Schwarzer E, Gianolio E, Valente E, Ulliers D, Aime S, Skorokhod O. Relaxometric studies of erythrocyte suspensions infected by Plasmodium falciparum: a tool for staging infection and testing anti-malarial drugs. Magn Reson Med 2020; 84:3366-3378. [PMID: 32602953 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Malaria is a global health problem with the most malignant form caused by Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum). Parasite maturation in red blood cells (RBCs) is accompanied by changes including the formation of paramagnetic hemozoin (HZ) nanocrystals, and increased metabolism and variation in membrane lipid composition. Herein, MR relaxometry (MRR) was applied to investigate water exchange across RBCs' membrane and HZ formation in parasitized RBCs. METHODS Transverse water protons relaxation rate constants (R2 = 1/T2 ) were measured for assessing HZ formation in P. falciparum-parasitized human RBCs. Moreover, water exchange lifetimes across the RBC membrane (τi ) were assessed by measuring longitudinal relaxation rate constants (R1 = 1/T1 ) at 21.5 MHz in the presence of a gadolinium complex dissolved in the suspension medium. RESULTS τi increased after invasion of parasites (ring stage, mean τi / τ i 0 = 1.234 ± 0.022) and decreased during maturation to late trophozoite (mean τi / τ i 0 = 0.960 ± 0.075) and schizont stages (mean τi / τ i 0 = 1.019 ± 0.065). The HZ accumulation in advanced stages was revealed by T2 -shortening. The curves reporting R2 (1/T2 ) vs. magnetic field showed different slopes for non-parasitized RBCs (npRBCs) and parasitized RBCs (pRBCs), namely 0.003 ± 0.001 for npRBCs, 0.009 ± 0.002, 0.028 ± 0.004 and 0.055 ± 0.002 for pRBCs at ring-, early trophozoite-, and late trophozoite stage, respectively. Antimalarial molecules dihydroartemisinin and chloroquine elicited measurable changes in parasitized RBCs, namely dihydroartemisinin modified τi , whereas the interference of chloroquine with HZ formation was detectable by a significant T2 increase. CONCLUSIONS MRR can be considered a useful tool for reporting on P. falciparum blood stages and for screening potential antimalarial molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enza Di Gregorio
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | - Eliana Gianolio
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Elena Valente
- Department of Oncology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | - Silvio Aime
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Oleksii Skorokhod
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
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16
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Gallo S, Spilinga M, Albano R, Ferrauto G, Di Gregorio E, Casanova E, Balmativola D, Bonzano A, Boccaccio C, Sapino A, Comoglio PM, Crepaldi T. Activation of the MET receptor attenuates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in vivo and in vitro. Br J Pharmacol 2020; 177:3107-3122. [PMID: 32133617 PMCID: PMC7280013 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Purpose Doxorubicin anti‐cancer therapy is associated with cardiotoxicity, resulting from DNA damage response (DDR). Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) protects cardiomyocytes from injury, but its effective use is compromised by low biodistribution. In this study, we have investigated whether the activation of the HGF receptor—encoded by the Met gene—by an agonist monoclonal antibody (mAb) could protect against doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity. Experimental Approach The mAb (5 mg·kg−1) was injected in vivo into C57BL/6J mice, before doxorubicin (three doses of 7 mg·kg−1). Cardiac functions were evaluated through MRI after treatment termination. Heart histological staining and mRNA levels of genes associated with heart failure (Acta1 and Nppa), inflammation (IL‐6), and fibrosis (Ctgf, Col1a2, Timp1, and Mmp9) were assessed. MAb (100 nM) was administered in vitro to H9c2 cardiomyoblasts before addition of doxorubicin (25 μM). DDR and apoptosis markers were evaluated by quantitative western blotting, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence. Stattic was used for pharmacological inactivation of STAT3. Key Results In vivo, administration of the mAb alleviated doxorubicin‐induced cardiac dysfunction and fibrosis. In vitro, mAb mimicked the response to HGF by (a) inhibiting histone H2AX phosphorylation at S139, (b) quenching the expression of the DNA repair enzyme PARP1, and (c) reducing the proteolytic activation of caspase 3. The MET‐driven cardioprotection involved, at least in vitro, the phosphorylation of STAT3. Conclusion and Implications The MET agonist mAb provides a new tool for cardioprotection against anthracycline cardiotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Gallo
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo (TO), Italy
| | - Martina Spilinga
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo (TO), Italy.,Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Enza Di Gregorio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Elena Casanova
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo (TO), Italy
| | | | | | - Carla Boccaccio
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo (TO), Italy.,Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Anna Sapino
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo (TO), Italy.,Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Tiziana Crepaldi
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo (TO), Italy.,Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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17
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Sforzi J, Ferrauto G, Aime S, Geninatti Crich S. A Simple and Fast Assay Based on Carboxyfluorescein-Loaded Liposome for Quantitative DNA Detection. ACS Omega 2020; 5:1764-1772. [PMID: 32039311 PMCID: PMC7003241 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b01457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The development of an innovative and easy way to run assays for the quantitative detection of DNA present in biological fluids (i.e., blood, urine, and saliva) is of great interest for early diagnosis (e.g., tumors) and personalized medicine. Herein, a new quantitative assay based on the use of highly sensitive carboxyfluorescein-loaded liposomes as signal amplification systems is reported. The method has been tested for the detection of low amounts of DNA sequences. The reported proof of concept exploits a target DNA molecule as a linker between two complementary oligonucleotides. One oligonucleotide is biotinylated at its 3' end and binds to streptavidin-coupled magnetic beads, whereas the other one is conjugated to a cholesterol molecule incorporated in the phospholipidic bilayer of the fluorescent liposomes. In the presence of the target fragment, the correct formation of a construct takes place as witnessed by a strong fluorescence signal, amplified by dissolving lipidic nanoparticles with Triton X-100. The system is able to detect specific nucleotide sequences with a very low detection threshold of target DNA (tens of picomolar). The assay allows the detection of both single- and double-stranded DNA. Studies performed in human blood serum show the correct assembling of the probe but with a reduction of limit of detection (up to ∼1 nM). This liposome signal amplification strategy could be used not only for the detection of DNA but also for other nucleic acids (mRNA; microRNA) that are difficult to be quantified by currently available protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Sforzi
- Molecular
Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences and IBB-CNR, c/o
Molecular Biotechnology Center, University
of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular
Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences and IBB-CNR, c/o
Molecular Biotechnology Center, University
of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Torino, Italy
- E-mail:
| | - Silvio Aime
- Molecular
Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences and IBB-CNR, c/o
Molecular Biotechnology Center, University
of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Simonetta Geninatti Crich
- Molecular
Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences and IBB-CNR, c/o
Molecular Biotechnology Center, University
of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Torino, Italy
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18
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Tripepi M, Ferrauto G, Bennardi PO, Aime S, Delli Castelli D. Multilamellar LipoCEST Agents Obtained from Osmotic Shrinkage of Paramagnetically Loaded Giant Unilamellar Vescicles (GUVs). Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201912327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martina Tripepi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health SciencesUniversity of Torino Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health SciencesUniversity of Torino Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - Paolo Oronzo Bennardi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health SciencesUniversity of Torino Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health SciencesUniversity of Torino Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - Daniela Delli Castelli
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health SciencesUniversity of Torino Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
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19
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Tripepi M, Ferrauto G, Bennardi PO, Aime S, Delli Castelli D. Multilamellar LipoCEST Agents Obtained from Osmotic Shrinkage of Paramagnetically Loaded Giant Unilamellar Vescicles (GUVs). Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:2279-2283. [PMID: 31803970 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201912327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Moving from nano- to micro-systems may not just be a matter of scale, but it might imply changes in the properties of the systems that can open new routes for the development of efficient MRI contrast agents. This is the case reported in the present paper, where giant liposomes (giant unilamellar vesicles, GUVs) loaded with LnIII complexes have been studied as chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI contrast agents. The comparison between nanosized liposomes (small unilamellar vesicles, SUVs) and GUVs sharing the same formulation led to differences that could not be accounted for only in terms of the increase in size (from 100-150 nm to 1-2 μm). Upon osmotic shrinkage, GUVs yielded a saturation-transfer effect three order of magnitude higher than SUVs consistent with the increase in vesicles volume. Confocal microscopy showed that the shrinkage of GUVs resulted in multilamellar particles whereas SUVs are known to yield asymmetrical, discoidal shape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Tripepi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Paolo Oronzo Bennardi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Daniela Delli Castelli
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
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20
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Ferrauto G, Carniato F, Di Gregorio E, Botta M, Tei L. Photoacoustic ratiometric assessment of mitoxantrone release from theranostic ICG-conjugated mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Nanoscale 2019; 11:18031-18036. [PMID: 31570915 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr06524e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
A theranostic nanosystem based on indocyanine green (ICG) covalently conjugated to mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) loaded with the anticancer drug mitoxantrone (MTX) is proposed as an innovative photoacoustic probe. Taking advantage of the characteristic PA signal displayed by both ICG and MTX, a PA-ratiometric approach was applied to assess the drug release profile from the MSNs. After complete in vitro characterization of the nanoprobe, a proof-of-concept study has been carried out in tumour-bearing mice to evaluate in vivo its effectiveness for cancer imaging and chemotherapeutic agent delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Science, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Torino, Italy.
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21
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Di Gregorio E, Ferrauto G, Lanzardo S, Gianolio E, Aime S. Use of FCC-NMRD relaxometry for early detection and characterization of ex-vivo murine breast cancer. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4624. [PMID: 30874603 PMCID: PMC6420649 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41154-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast Cancer is the most diffuse cancer among women and the treatment outcome is largely determined by its early detection. MRI at fixed magnetic field is already widely used for cancer detection. Herein it is shown that the acquisition of proton T1 at different magnetic fields adds further advantages. In fact, Fast Field Cycling Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Dispersion (FFC-NMRD) profiles have been shown to act as a high -sensitivity tool for cancer detection and staging in ex vivo murine breast tissues collected from Balb/NeuT mice. From NMRD profiles it was possible to extract two new cancer biomarkers, namely: (i) the appearance of 14N-quadrupolar peaks (QPs) reporting on tumor onset and (ii) the slope of the NMRD profile reporting on the progression of the tumor. By this approach it was possible to detect the presence of tumor in transgenic NeuT mice at a very early stage (5-7 weeks), when the disease is not yet detectable by using conventional high field (7 T) MRI and only minimal abnormalities are present in histological assays. These results show that, NMRD profiles may represent a useful tool for early breast cancer detection and for getting more insight into an accurate tumor phenotyping, highlighting changes in composition of the mammary gland tissue (lipids/proteins/water) occurring during the development of the neoplasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enza Di Gregorio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Stefania Lanzardo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Eliana Gianolio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy. .,IBB-CNR, Sede secondaria c/o Molecular Biotechnology Center, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy.
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Ferrauto G, Delli Castelli D, Leone L, Botta M, Aime S, Baranyai Z, Tei L. Modifying LnHPDO3A Chelates for Improved
T
1
and CEST MRI Applications. Chemistry 2019; 25:4184-4193. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.201806023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Imaging CentreUniversity of Torino via Nizza 52 10125 Torino Italy
| | - Daniela Delli Castelli
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Imaging CentreUniversity of Torino via Nizza 52 10125 Torino Italy
| | - Loredana Leone
- Department of Sciences and Technological InnovationUniversity of Eastern Piedmont viale T. Michel 11 50121 Alessandria Italy
| | - Mauro Botta
- Department of Sciences and Technological InnovationUniversity of Eastern Piedmont viale T. Michel 11 50121 Alessandria Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Imaging CentreUniversity of Torino via Nizza 52 10125 Torino Italy
| | - Zsolt Baranyai
- Department of Inorganic and Analytical ChemistryUniversity of Debrecen Egyetem tér 1 10010 H-4032 Hungary
- Bracco Research Centre, Bracco Imaging S.p.A. Via Ribes 5 10010 Colleretto Giacosa Italy
| | - Lorenzo Tei
- Department of Sciences and Technological InnovationUniversity of Eastern Piedmont viale T. Michel 11 50121 Alessandria Italy
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Ferrauto G, Beauprez F, Di Gregorio E, Carrera C, Aime S, Terreno E, Delli Castelli D. Development and characterization of lanthanide-HPDO3A-C16-based micelles as CEST-MRI contrast agents. Dalton Trans 2019; 48:5343-5351. [DOI: 10.1039/c8dt04621b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The synthesis and characterization of a novel HPDO3A-based ligand having a C16 alkyl chain and its Eu3+, Gd3+and Yb3+complexes are reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular Imaging Center
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences
- University of Torino- Via Nizza 52
- 10126 Torino
- Italy
| | - Frederik Beauprez
- Molecular Imaging Center
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences
- University of Torino- Via Nizza 52
- 10126 Torino
- Italy
| | - Enza Di Gregorio
- Molecular Imaging Center
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences
- University of Torino- Via Nizza 52
- 10126 Torino
- Italy
| | - Carla Carrera
- Molecular Imaging Center
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences
- University of Torino- Via Nizza 52
- 10126 Torino
- Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Molecular Imaging Center
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences
- University of Torino- Via Nizza 52
- 10126 Torino
- Italy
| | - Enzo Terreno
- Molecular Imaging Center
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences
- University of Torino- Via Nizza 52
- 10126 Torino
- Italy
| | - Daniela Delli Castelli
- Molecular Imaging Center
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences
- University of Torino- Via Nizza 52
- 10126 Torino
- Italy
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Ferrauto G, Di Gregorio E, Auboiroux V, Petit M, Berger F, Aime S, Lahrech H. CEST-MRI for glioma pH quantification in mouse model: Validation by immunohistochemistry. NMR Biomed 2018; 31:e4005. [PMID: 30256478 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Revised: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In glioma, the acidification of the extracellular tumor microenvironment drives proliferation, angiogenesis, immunosuppression, invasion and chemoresistance. Therefore, quantification of glioma extracellular pH (pHe) is of crucial importance. This study is focused on the application of the YbHPDO3A (ytterbium 1,4,7-triscarboxymethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane) probe for in vivo glioma pHe quantification using chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST)-MRI and its correlation with tumor metabolism assessed by immunohistochemistry. The U87 glioma mouse model was used (n = 18) and MRI performed at 4.7 T. CEST-MRI of YbHPDO3A solutions at different pH values showed two resolved CEST spectra at 71 ppm and 99 ppm, both sensitive to pH variations, allowing therefore calculation of the ratiometric curve for in vivo pH quantification. In vivo MRI sequences consisted of T2w for tumor localization, T2w * to assess YbHPDO3A biodistribution by exploiting its magnetic susceptibility effect and CEST for glioma pHe mapping. T2w * images show that YbHPDO3A extravasates in tumor in regions with damaged blood-brain barrier. The pHe is calculated only in these regions. Hematoxylin/eosin histology and Ki-67, CA-IX (carbonic anhydrase 9) and NHE-1 immunohistochemical staining were performed; their expression rates were compared with the in vivo pHe values. On the basis of the cell proliferation marker Ki-67, two groups were defined: one group with a lower mitotic index (MI% < 20% = mean value) and a mean pHe value of 7.00 (low-proliferation/high-pH group) and the other with MI% > 20% and an acidic pHe of 6.6 (high-proliferation/low-pH group). CA-IX and NHE-1 were over-expressed in the high-proliferation/low-pH group (CA-IX, 92 ± 7% versus 30 ± 13%; NHE-1, 84 ± 8% versus 35 ± 11%), indicating an acidic/hypoxic microenvironment. These immunohistochemical results are consistent with our pHe mapping (Pearson correlation coefficient > 0.70) and provide evidence for the feasibility of the CEST-MRI method with the YbHPDO3A probe for glioma pHe quantification at 4.7 T. Importantly, the YbHPDO3A probe has similar chemical and biological properties to the clinically approved MRI contrast agent GdHPDO3A. This makes the method promising for a clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Enza Di Gregorio
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Manuel Petit
- BrainTech Lab-INSERM U12O5-University of Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - François Berger
- BrainTech Lab-INSERM U12O5-University of Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Silvio Aime
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Hana Lahrech
- BrainTech Lab-INSERM U12O5-University of Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
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Di Gregorio E, Iani R, Ferrauto G, Nuzzi R, Aime S, Gianolio E. Gd accumulation in tissues of healthy mice upon repeated administrations of Gadodiamide and Gadoteridol. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2018; 48:239-245. [PMID: 29773187 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2018.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Revised: 04/11/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this work was to investigate, by five different administration protocols, the impact of the dosage, the time passed after the last injection and the frequency of injections, on accumulation and distribution of Gd-containing species in the body tissues of healthy mice upon repeated injections of Gadolinium Based Contrast Agents (GBCAs). Gadodiamide and Gadoteridol have been compared. The amount of Gd retained in several tissues/organs (cerebrum, cerebellum, spleen, liver, kidneys, eyes, skin, bone and muscle) has been assessed by ICP-MS upon administration of the GBCAs i) at three weeks or three months after the last administration, ii) when one, three or twelve doses of GBCA were administered and iii) when administrations were made every two weeks. Gd was found in all tissues after the administration of Gadodiamide. Conversely, in the case of Gadoteridol, Gd was detected only in spleen, kidneys, liver and bone. The amounts of Gd found in spleen, liver and kidneys markedly decrease upon increasing the time that has passed after the last administration, whereas, in the case of Gadodiamide, the decrease of Gd found in bone, cerebrum and cerebellum appears to occur at a much slower rate. Overall, areas of long term deposition appear to be bone and spleen for both GBCAs. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that intravenous multiple administrations of GBCAs is associated with extensive multiorgan retention which is reduced but not eliminated by the use of the macrocyclic Gadoteridol as well as by adopting reduced and/or less frequent dosing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enza Di Gregorio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Rebecca Iani
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Raffaele Nuzzi
- Eye Clinic Section and Specialization School in Ophthalmology, Institute of Ophthalmology, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Turin, Via Juvarra 19, 10100, Torino, Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- IBB-CNR, Sede Secondaria c/o MBC, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Eliana Gianolio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy.
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26
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Dastrù W, Menchise V, Ferrauto G, Fabretto S, Carrera C, Terreno E, Aime S, Castelli DD. Modulation of the Prototropic Exchange Rate in pH-Responsive Yb-HPDO3A Derivatives as ParaCEST Agents. ChemistrySelect 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.201800283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Walter Dastrù
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences; Molecular Imaging Center; University of Torino; Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - Valeria Menchise
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; via Mezzocannone 16 80134 Napoli Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences; Molecular Imaging Center; University of Torino; Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - Serena Fabretto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences; Molecular Imaging Center; University of Torino; Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - Carla Carrera
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences; Molecular Imaging Center; University of Torino; Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - Enzo Terreno
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences; Molecular Imaging Center; University of Torino; Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences; Molecular Imaging Center; University of Torino; Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - Daniela Delli Castelli
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences; Molecular Imaging Center; University of Torino; Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
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Leone L, Ferrauto G, Cossi M, Botta M, Tei L. Optimizing the Relaxivity of MRI Probes at High Magnetic Field Strengths With Binuclear Gd III Complexes. Front Chem 2018; 6:158. [PMID: 29868561 PMCID: PMC5962812 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2018.00158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The key criteria to optimize the relaxivity of a Gd(III) contrast agent at high fields (defined as the region ≥ 1.5 T) can be summarized as follows: (i) the occurrence of a rotational correlation time τR in the range of ca. 0.2–0.5 ns; (ii) the rate of water exchange is not critical, but a τM < 100 ns is preferred; (iii) a relevant contribution from water molecules in the second sphere of hydration. In addition, the use of macrocycle-based systems ensures the formation of thermodynamically and kinetically stable Gd(III) complexes. Binuclear Gd(III) complexes could potentially meet these requirements. Their efficiency depends primarily on the degree of flexibility of the linker connecting the two monomeric units, the absence of local motions and the presence of contribution from the second sphere water molecules. With the aim to maximize relaxivity (per Gd) over a wide range of magnetic field strengths, two binuclear Gd(III) chelates derived from the well-known macrocyclic systems DOTA-monopropionamide and HPDO3A (Gd2L1 and Gd2L2, respectively) were synthesized through a multistep synthesis. Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) experiments carried out on Eu2L2 at different pH showed the occurrence of a CEST effect at acidic pH that disappears at neutral pH, associated with the deprotonation of the hydroxyl groups. Then, a complete 1H and 17O NMR relaxometric study was carried out in order to evaluate the parameters that govern the relaxivity associated with these complexes. The relaxivities of Gd2L1 and Gd2L2 (20 MHz, 298 K) are 8.7 and 9.5 mM−1 s−1, respectively, +77% and +106% higher than the relaxivity values of the corresponding mononuclear GdDOTAMAP-En and GdHPDO3A complexes. A significant contribution of second sphere water molecules was accounted for the strong relaxivity enhancement of Gd2L2. MR phantom images of the dinuclear complexes compared to GdHPDO3A, recorded at 7 T, confirmed the superiority of Gd2L2. Finally, ab initio (DFT) calculations were performed to obtain information about the solution structure of the dinuclear complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loredana Leone
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale "Amedeo Avogadro", Alessandria, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Imaging Centre, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Maurizio Cossi
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale "Amedeo Avogadro", Alessandria, Italy
| | - Mauro Botta
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale "Amedeo Avogadro", Alessandria, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Tei
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale "Amedeo Avogadro", Alessandria, Italy
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Gallo S, Spilinga M, Ferrauto G, Di Gregorio E, Bonzano A, Comoglio P, Crepaldi T. HGF-mimic antibody administration to counteract doxorubicin cardiotoxicity. Vascul Pharmacol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vph.2017.12.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Abstract
PURPOSE Magnetic resonance imaging has been used extensively to track in vivo implanted cells that have been previously labeled with relaxation enhancers. However, this approach is not suitable to track multiple cell populations, as it may lead to confounding results in case the contrast agent is released from the labeled cells. This paper demonstrates how the use of CEST agents can overcome these issues. After encapsulating paramagnetic lanthanide shift reagents, we may shift the absorption frequency of the intracellular water resonance (δIn ), thus generating frequency-encoding CEST responsive cells that can be visualized in the MR image by applying the proper RF irradiation. METHODS Eu-HPDO3A, Dy-HPDO3A, and Tm-HPDO3A were used as shift reagents for labeling murine breast cancer cells and murine macrophages by hypotonic swelling and pinocytosis. The CEST-MR images were acquired at 7 T, and the saturation transfer effect was measured. Samples at different dilution of cells were analyzed to quantify the detection threshold. In vitro experiments of cell proliferation were carried out. Finally, murine breast cancer cells were injected subcutaneously in mice, and MR images were acquired to assess the proliferation index in vivo. RESULTS It was found that entrapment of the paramagnetic complexes into endosomes (i.e., using the pinocytosis route) leads to an enhanced shift of the intracellular water resonance. δIn appears to be proportional to the effective magnetic moment (μeff ) and to the concentration of the loaded lanthanide complex. Moreover, a higher shift is present when the complexes are entrapped in the endosomes. The cell proliferation index was assessed both in vitro and in vivo by evaluating the reduction of δIn value in the days after the cell labeling. CONCLUSION Cells can be visualized by CEST MRI after loading with paramagnetic shift reagent, by exploiting the large ensemble of the properly shifted intracellular water molecules. A better performance is obtained when the complexes are entrapped inside the endosomes. The observed (δIn ) value is strongly correlated to the chemical nature of the probe, and to its concentration and cellular localization. Two applications of this method are reported in this paper: (1) for in vivo cell visualization and (2) for the monitoring of the cellular proliferation process, as this method is accompanied by a change in δIn that may be exploited as a longitudinal reporter of the proliferation rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Italy
| | - Enza Di Gregorio
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Italy
| | - Daniela Delli Castelli
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Italy
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Srivastava K, Ferrauto G, Harris SM, Longo DL, Botta M, Aime S, Pierre VC. Complete on/off responsive ParaCEST MRI contrast agents for copper and zinc. Dalton Trans 2018; 47:11346-11357. [DOI: 10.1039/c8dt01172a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Two thulium-based paraCEST contrast agents enable detection and imaging of copper and zinc by MRI with a complete on/off response.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. Srivastava
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Minnesota
- Minneapolis
- USA
| | - G. Ferrauto
- Molecular Imaging Center
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences
- University of Torino
- 10126 Torino
- Italy
| | - S. M. Harris
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Minnesota
- Minneapolis
- USA
| | - D. L. Longo
- Molecular Imaging Center
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences
- University of Torino
- 10126 Torino
- Italy
| | - M. Botta
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica
- Università del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro”
- 15121 Alessandria
- Italy
| | - S. Aime
- Molecular Imaging Center
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences
- University of Torino
- 10126 Torino
- Italy
| | - V. C. Pierre
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Minnesota
- Minneapolis
- USA
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Srivastava K, Ferrauto G, Young VG, Aime S, Pierre VC. Eight-Coordinate, Stable Fe(II) Complex as a Dual 19F and CEST Contrast Agent for Ratiometric pH Imaging. Inorg Chem 2017; 56:12206-12213. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.7b01629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kriti Srivastava
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies & Health Sciences, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Victor G. Young
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Silvio Aime
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies & Health Sciences, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Valérie C. Pierre
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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Ferrauto G, Di Gregorio E, Ruzza M, Catanzaro V, Padovan S, Aime S. Enzyme-Responsive LipoCEST Agents: Assessment of MMP-2 Activity by Measuring the Intra-liposomal Water 1
H NMR Shift. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201706271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences; University of Torino; Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - Enza Di Gregorio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences; University of Torino; Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - Marta Ruzza
- Bioindustry Park “Silvano Fumero”; Colleretto Giacosa Torino Italy
| | - Valeria Catanzaro
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences; University of Torino; Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - Sergio Padovan
- Institutes for Biostructures and Bioimages (CNR) c/o; Molecular Biotechnology Center; Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences; University of Torino; Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
- Institutes for Biostructures and Bioimages (CNR) c/o; Molecular Biotechnology Center; Via Nizza 52 10126 Torino Italy
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Ferrauto G, Di Gregorio E, Ruzza M, Catanzaro V, Padovan S, Aime S. Enzyme-Responsive LipoCEST Agents: Assessment of MMP-2 Activity by Measuring the Intra-liposomal Water 1 H NMR Shift. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2017; 56:12170-12173. [PMID: 28746744 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201706271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Revised: 07/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Mobile proton-containing solutes can be detected by MRI by the chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) method. CEST sensitivity is dramatically enhanced by using, as exchanging protons, the water molecules confined inside liposomes, shifted by a paramagnetic shift reagent. The chemical shift of the intraliposomal water resonance (δIL ) is affected by the overall shape of the supramolecular system. δIL of a spherical LipoCEST acts as a sensitive reporter of the distribution of streptavidin proteins anchored at the liposome surface by biotinylated phospholipids. This finding prompted the design of a MMP-2 responsive LipoCEST agent as the streptavidin moieties can be released from the liposome surfaces when a properly tailored enzyme-cleavable peptide is inserted on the phospholipids before the terminal biotin residues. δIL reports on the overall changes in the supramolecular architecture associated to the cleavage carried out by MMP-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Enza Di Gregorio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Marta Ruzza
- Bioindustry Park "Silvano Fumero", Colleretto Giacosa, Torino, Italy
| | - Valeria Catanzaro
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Sergio Padovan
- Institutes for Biostructures and Bioimages (CNR) c/o, Molecular Biotechnology Center, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy.,Institutes for Biostructures and Bioimages (CNR) c/o, Molecular Biotechnology Center, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
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Ferrauto G, Carniato F, Di Gregorio E, Tei L, Botta M, Aime S. Large photoacoustic effect enhancement for ICG confined inside MCM-41 mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Nanoscale 2017; 9:99-103. [PMID: 27934996 DOI: 10.1039/c6nr08282c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Indocyanine green was encapsulated inside the pores of pegylated amino-functionalized MCM-41 Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles (ICG-MSNs). In addition to a greater stability and a decrease of toxicity, the photoacoustic effect of ICG-MSNs increases by nearly 400% compared to free ICG due to fluorescence quenching and high photothermal conversion of the encapsulated dyes. Upon i.v. administration in tumor-bearing mice, an overall photoacoustic enhancement of ca. 25% was measured in the tumor region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy.
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Ferrauto G, Delli Castelli D, Di Gregorio E, Terreno E, Aime S. LipoCEST and cellCEST imaging agents: opportunities and challenges. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2016; 8:602-18. [PMID: 26810631 DOI: 10.1002/wnan.1385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2015] [Revised: 11/10/2015] [Accepted: 11/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
From the early days of CEST agents' disclosure, it was evident that their potential for in vivo applications was strongly hampered by the intrinsic low sensitivity. Therefore, much work has been devoted to seek out suitable routes to achieve strong CEST contrast enhancement. The use of nanosized systems turned out to be a strategic choice, because a very large amount of CEST agents can be delivered at the site of interest. However, the breakthrough innovation in term of increase of sensitivity was found by designing the lipoCEST agents. The naturally inspired, liposomes vesicles, when loaded with paramagnetic lanthanide-based shift reagents, can be transformed into CEST probes. The large number of water molecules entrapped inside the inner cavity of the nanovesicles represents an enormous pool of exchanging protons for the generation of CEST contrast, whereas the presence of the shift reagent increases the separation in chemical shift of their nuclear magnetic resonance signal from that of the bulk water, thus allowing for a proper exchange regime for the activation of CEST contrast. From lipoCEST, it has been rather straightforward to evolve to cellCEST in order to exploit the cytoplasmatic water molecules as source of the CEST effect, once cells have been loaded with the proper shift reagent. The red blood cells were found to be particularly suitable for the development of the cellCEST concept. Finally, an understanding of the main determinants of the CEST effects in nanosized and cellular-sized agents has allowed the design of innovative lipoCEST/RBC aggregates for potential theranostic applications. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2016, 8:602-618. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1385 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular & Preclinical Imaging Centers, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Daniela Delli Castelli
- Molecular & Preclinical Imaging Centers, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Enza Di Gregorio
- Molecular & Preclinical Imaging Centers, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Enzo Terreno
- Molecular & Preclinical Imaging Centers, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy.,IBB-CNR-UOS, University of Torino (IT), Turin, Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Molecular & Preclinical Imaging Centers, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy.,IBB-CNR-UOS, University of Torino (IT), Turin, Italy
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Pumphrey A, Yang Z, Ye S, Powell DK, Thalman S, Watt DS, Abdel-Latif A, Unrine J, Thompson K, Fornwalt B, Ferrauto G, Vandsburger M. Advanced cardiac chemical exchange saturation transfer (cardioCEST) MRI for in vivo cell tracking and metabolic imaging. NMR Biomed 2016; 29:74-83. [PMID: 26684053 PMCID: PMC4907269 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.3451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Revised: 10/16/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
An improved pre-clinical cardiac chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) pulse sequence (cardioCEST) was used to selectively visualize paramagnetic CEST (paraCEST)-labeled cells following intramyocardial implantation. In addition, cardioCEST was used to examine the effect of diet-induced obesity upon myocardial creatine CEST contrast. CEST pulse sequences were designed from standard turbo-spin-echo and gradient-echo sequences, and a cardiorespiratory-gated steady-state cine gradient-echo sequence. In vitro validation studies performed in phantoms composed of 20 mM Eu-HPDO3A, 20 mM Yb-HPDO3A, or saline demonstrated similar CEST contrast by spin-echo and gradient-echo pulse sequences. Skeletal myoblast cells (C2C12) were labeled with either Eu-HPDO3A or saline using a hypotonic swelling procedure and implanted into the myocardium of C57B6/J mice. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry confirmed cellular levels of Eu of 2.1 × 10(-3) ng/cell in Eu-HPDO3A-labeled cells and 2.3 × 10(-5) ng/cell in saline-labeled cells. In vivo cardioCEST imaging of labeled cells at ±15 ppm was performed 24 h after implantation and revealed significantly elevated asymmetric magnetization transfer ratio values in regions of Eu-HPDO3A-labeled cells when compared with surrounding myocardium or saline-labeled cells. We further utilized the cardioCEST pulse sequence to examine changes in myocardial creatine in response to diet-induced obesity by acquiring pairs of cardioCEST images at ±1.8 ppm. While ventricular geometry and function were unchanged between mice fed either a high-fat diet or a corresponding control low-fat diet for 14 weeks, myocardial creatine CEST contrast was significantly reduced in mice fed the high-fat diet. The selective visualization of paraCEST-labeled cells using cardioCEST imaging can enable investigation of cell fate processes in cardioregenerative medicine, or multiplex imaging of cell survival with imaging of cardiac structure and function and additional imaging of myocardial creatine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Pumphrey
- Saha Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Zhengshi Yang
- Saha Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Shaojing Ye
- Saha Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - David K. Powell
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Scott Thalman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - David S. Watt
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, and Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Ahmed Abdel-Latif
- Saha Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Jason Unrine
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | | | - Brandon Fornwalt
- Saha Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- Geisinger Health System, Danville, PA, USA
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Moriel Vandsburger
- Saha Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
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Gianolio E, Ferrauto G, Di Gregorio E, Aime S. Re-evaluation of the water exchange lifetime value across red blood cell membrane. Biochim Biophys Acta 2015; 1858:627-31. [PMID: 26744230 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2015.12.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Revised: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 12/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The water exchange lifetime (τ(i)) through red blood cell (RBC) membranes can be measured by analyzing the water protons bi-exponential T1 and T2 curves when RBCs are suspended in a medium supplemented with paramagnetic species. Since the seminal papers published in the early '70s of the previous century, paramagnetic Mn(2+) ions were used for doping the extracellular compartment in the RBCs suspension. The obtained τ(i) values fall in the range of 9.8-14 ms. Conversely, other physic-chemical measurements afforded longer τ(i) values. Herein, it is shown that the replacement of Mn(2+) with the highly stable, hydrophilic Gd(III) complexes used as paramagnetic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents led to measure τ(iI) values of 19.1 ± 0.65 ms at 25 ° C. The observed difference is ascribed to the occurrence of enhanced permeability of RBC membrane in the presence of Mn(2+) ions. This view finds support from the observation that an analogous behavior was shown in the presence of other divalent cations, such Ca(2+) and Zn(2+) ions. A possible role of scramblase has been hypothesized. Finally, τ(i) has been measured in presence of alcohols to show that the herein proposed method can detect minor changes in RBC membranes' stiffness upon the incorporation of aliphatic alcohols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliana Gianolio
- University of Torino, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Science, Torino, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- University of Torino, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Science, Torino, Italy
| | - Enza Di Gregorio
- University of Torino, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Science, Torino, Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- University of Torino, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Science, Torino, Italy.
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Delli Castelli D, Ferrauto G, Di Gregorio E, Terreno E, Aime S. Sensitive MRI detection of internalized T1 contrast agents using magnetization transfer contrast. NMR Biomed 2015; 28:1663-1670. [PMID: 26474109 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.3423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Revised: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 09/06/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
This work addresses the possibility of using Magnetization Transfer Contrast (MTC) for an improved MRI detection of T1 relaxation agents. The need to improve the detection threshold of MRI agents is particularly stringent when the contrast agents failed to accumulate to the proper extent in targeting procedures. The herein reported approach is based on the T1 dependence of MT contrast. It has been assessed that MT contrast can allow the detection of a Gd-containing agent at a lower detection threshold than the one accessible by acquiring T1W images. Measurements have been carried out either in TS/A cells or in vivo in a syngeneic murine breast cancer model. The reported data showed that in cellular experiments the MTC method displays a better sensitivity with respect to the common T1W experiments. In particular, the reached detection threshold allowed the visualization of samples containing only 2% of Gd-labeled cells diluted in unlabeled cells. In vivo experiments displayed a more diversified scheme. In particular, the tumor region showed two distinct behaviors accordingly with the localization of the imaging probe. The probe located in the tumor core could be detected to the same extent either by T1w or MTC contrast. Conversely, the agent located in the tumor rim was detected with a larger sensitivity by the MTC method herein described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Delli Castelli
- Molecular & Preclinical Imaging Centers, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular & Preclinical Imaging Centers, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Enza Di Gregorio
- Molecular & Preclinical Imaging Centers, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Enzo Terreno
- Molecular & Preclinical Imaging Centers, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
- IBB-CNR- UOS, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Molecular & Preclinical Imaging Centers, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
- IBB-CNR- UOS, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
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Di Gregorio E, Ferrauto G, Gianolio E, Lanzardo S, Carrera C, Fedeli F, Aime S. An MRI Method To Map Tumor Hypoxia Using Red Blood Cells Loaded with a pO2-Responsive Gd-Agent. ACS Nano 2015; 9:8239-8248. [PMID: 26234938 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5b02604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Hypoxia is a typical hallmark of many solid tumors and often leads to therapy resistance and the development of a more aggressive cancer phenotype. Oxygen content in tissues has been evaluated using numerous different methods for several imaging modalities, but none has yet reached the required standard of spatial and temporal resolution. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) appears to be the technique of choice and several pO2-responsive probes have been designed for it over the years. In vivo translation is often hampered in Gd-relaxation agents as it is not possible to separate effects that arise from changes in local concentration from those associated with responsive properties. A novel procedure for the MRI based assessment of hypoxia is reported herein. The method relies on the combined use of Gd-DOTP- and Gd-HPDO3A-labeled red blood cells (RBCs) where the first probe acts as a vascular oxygenation-responsive agent, while the second reports the local labeled RBC concentration in a transplanted breast tumor mouse model. The MRI assessment of oxygenation state has been validated by photoacoustic imaging and ex vivo immunofluorescence. The method refines tumor staging in preclinical models and makes possible an accurate monitoring of the relationship between oxygenation and tumor growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enza Di Gregorio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino , Torino 10126, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino , Torino 10126, Italy
| | - Eliana Gianolio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino , Torino 10126, Italy
| | - Stefania Lanzardo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino , Torino 10126, Italy
| | - Carla Carrera
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino , Torino 10126, Italy
| | - Franco Fedeli
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino , Torino 10126, Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino , Torino 10126, Italy
- IBB-CNR-UOS at the University of Torino , Torino 10126, Italy
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Abstract
Paramagnetic liposomes containing Dy-HPDO3A in their inner water compartment and carrying a residual positive charge on their outer surface have been electrostatically bound to the membrane of red blood cells (RBCs). These aggregates yield two chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) pools represented by liposomal water protons (LipoCEST) and cytoplasmatic water protons (ErythroCEST), respectively. The absorption frequencies of the two pools fall at the negative and positive side of the solvent water resonance as expected from the dipolar (LipoCEST) and BMS (bulk magnetic susceptibility) (ErythroCEST) origin of the paramagnetic induced shift of their water protons resonances, respectively. In vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows that the liposomes/RBC aggregates report about the vascular volume whereas the residual LipoCEST effect informs about the presence of released liposomes in the region of interest (ROI). Besides being an innovative blood cell labeling for MRI, the LipoCEST/RBC aggregates provide a route to improve the circulation lifetime of the liposomes and the CEST procedure allows assessing the deassembly of the aggregates and accumulation of the liposomes in the ROI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies & Health Sciences, University of Torino , Torino, Italy
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Mulas G, Ferrauto G, Dastrù W, Anedda R, Aime S, Terreno E. Insights on the relaxation of liposomes encapsulating paramagnetic Ln-based complexes. Magn Reson Med 2014; 74:468-73. [DOI: 10.1002/mrm.25412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Revised: 07/09/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gilberto Mulas
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
- Porto Conte Ricerche Srl; Tramariglio Alghero (SS) Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Walter Dastrù
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Roberto Anedda
- Porto Conte Ricerche Srl; Tramariglio Alghero (SS) Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
- Center for Molecular & Preclinical Imaging, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Enzo Terreno
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
- Center for Molecular & Preclinical Imaging, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
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Ferrauto G, Carniato F, Tei L, Hu H, Aime S, Botta M. MRI nanoprobes based on chemical exchange saturation transfer: Ln(III) chelates anchored on the surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Nanoscale 2014; 6:9604-9607. [PMID: 25029466 DOI: 10.1039/c4nr02753a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The formation of ternary complexes between neutral Ln(III)-DO3A chelates anchored on MCM-41 mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) and silanol groups on the surface allows obtaining highly efficient chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI nanoprobes. These new probes achieve excellent sensitivity in the μM range (per Ln(III) ion), significantly greater than that of other paramagnetic CEST nanosystems such as dendrimers or micelles and three orders of magnitude higher than that of the corresponding molecular agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Imaging Center, University of Torino, Via Nizza, 52, 10126, Torino, Italy.
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Di Gregorio E, Ferrauto G, Gianolio E, Aime S. Gd loading by hypotonic swelling: an efficient and safe route for cellular labeling. Contrast Media Mol Imaging 2014; 8:475-86. [PMID: 24375903 DOI: 10.1002/cmmi.1574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2013] [Revised: 09/10/2013] [Accepted: 09/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Cells incubated in hypo-osmotic media swell and their membranes become leaky. The flow of water that enters the cells results in the net transport of molecules present in the incubation medium directly into the cell cytoplasm. This phenomenon has been exploited to label cells with MRI Gd-containing contrast agents. It has been found that, in the presence of 100 mM Gd-HPDO3A in an incubation medium characterized by an overall osmolarity of 160 mOsm l⁻¹, each cell is loaded with amounts of paramagnetic complex ranging from 2 × 10⁹ to 2 × 10¹⁰ depending on the cell type. To obtain more insight into the determinants of cellular labeling by the 'hypo-osmotic shock' methodology, a study on cell viability, proliferation rate and cell morphology was carried out on J774A.1 and K562 cells as representative of cells grown in adhesion and suspended ones, respectively. Moreover a comparison of the efficiency of the proposed method with established cell labeling procedures such as pinocytosis and electroporation was carried out. Finally, the effects of the residual electric charge, the size and some structural features of the metal complex were investigated. In summary, the 'hypotonic shock' methodology appears to be an efficient and promising tool to pursue cellular labeling with paramagnetic complexes. Its implementation is straightforward and one may foresee that it will be largely applied in in vitro cellular labeling of many cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enza Di Gregorio
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126-, Torino, Italy
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Ferrauto G, Delli Castelli D, Di Gregorio E, Langereis S, Burdinski D, Grüll H, Terreno E, Aime S. Lanthanide-loaded erythrocytes as highly sensitive chemical exchange saturation transfer MRI contrast agents. J Am Chem Soc 2013; 136:638-41. [PMID: 24359116 DOI: 10.1021/ja411793u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) agents are a new class of frequency-encoding MRI contrast agents with a great potential for molecular and cellular imaging. As for other established MRI contrast agents, the main drawback deals with their low sensitivity. The sensitivity issue may be tackled by increasing the number of exchanging protons involved in the transfer of saturated magnetization to the "bulk" water signal. Herein we show that the water molecules in the cytoplasm of red blood cells can be exploited as source of exchangeable protons provided that their chemical shift is properly shifted by the intracellular entrapment of a paramagnetic shift reagent. The sensitivity of this system is the highest displayed so far among CEST agents (less than 1 pM of cells), and the natural origin of this system makes it suitable for in vivo applications. The proposed Ln-loaded RBCs may be proposed as reporters of the blood volume in the tumor region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Imaging and Preclinical Centers, University of Torino , Torino, Italy
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Delli Castelli D, Ferrauto G, Cutrin JC, Terreno E, Aime S. In vivo maps of extracellular pH in murine melanoma by CEST-MRI. Magn Reson Med 2013; 71:326-32. [PMID: 23529973 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.24664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2012] [Revised: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 01/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE A novel method based on the use of Yb-HPDO3A as MRI Para-CEST agent for in vivo pH mapping of the tumor region in a melanoma murine model is reported. This method does not require the knowledge of the concentration of the imaging agent. METHODS C57BL/6-mice were inoculated with B16-F10 cells. CEST-MR images of tumor and bladder were acquired upon the i.v. administration of Yb-HPDO3A (1.2 mmol/Kg). pH was assessed by the use of a ratiometric method. RESULTS Yb-HPDO3A distributes well in the extracellular space of the tumor allowing the detection of good levels of saturation transfer (ST). It is excreted throughout kidneys and accumulated in the bladder thus yielding a strong CEST signal from urine. By comparing the ST% obtained upon selective irradiation of the two OH resonances belonging to the two isomeric forms of Yb-HPDO3A, it has been possible to measure the extracellular pH for each voxel (0.22 mm(3) ). The obtained pH-maps of tumors show a great heterogeneity. Marked differences are associated to tumor staging. CONCLUSION The application of Yb-HPDO3A to measure extracellular tumor pH provides a good spatio-temporal resolution and it does not require the prior knowledge of the contrast agent concentration. The herein reported data support the potential clinical translation of Yb-HPDO3A.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Delli Castelli
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Imaging Center, University of Torino, Italy
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Ferrauto G, Delli Castelli D, Terreno E, Aime S. In vivo MRI visualization of different cell populations labeled with PARACEST agents. Magn Reson Med 2012; 69:1703-11. [PMID: 22837028 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.24411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2012] [Revised: 06/06/2012] [Accepted: 06/20/2012] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Conventional T1- or T2-MRI contrast agents do not allow to track the distribution of different cell populations simultaneously because the effects of relaxation enhancers are additive. Herein, it is shown that paramagnetic chemical exchange saturation transfer agents offer the opportunity to visualize different cell populations in vitro and in vivo by 1H-MRI. Yb- and Eu-HPDO3A complexes have been used to label murine macrophages (J774.A1) and melanoma cells (B16-F10), respectively. By selective irradiation of the highly-shifted OH resonances of the two chemical exchange saturation transfer agents, it has been shown that tracking of the two cell types is possible. These PARAmagnetic Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer agents have a tremendous potential for clinical translation as they share the same stability and in vivo pharmacokinetic properties of Gd-HPDO3A (ProHance®), which is a widely used clinically approved MRI agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ferrauto
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Turin, Italy
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