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Heaton AR, Lechuga LM, Tangsangasaksri M, Ludwig KD, Fain SB, Mecozzi S. A stable, highly concentrated fluorous nanoemulsion formulation for in vivo cancer imaging via 19F-MRI. NMR Biomed 2024; 37:e5100. [PMID: 38230415 PMCID: PMC10987282 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.5100] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a routine diagnostic modality in oncology that produces excellent imaging resolution and tumor contrast without the use of ionizing radiation. However, improved contrast agents are still needed to further increase detection sensitivity and avoid toxicity/allergic reactions associated with paramagnetic metal contrast agents, which may be seen in a small percentage of the human population. Fluorine-19 (19F)-MRI is at the forefront of the developing MRI methodologies due to near-zero background signal, high natural abundance of 100%, and unambiguous signal specificity. In this study, we have developed a colloidal nanoemulsion (NE) formulation that can encapsulate high volumes of the fluorous MRI tracer, perfluoro-[15-crown-5]-ether (PFCE) (35% v/v). These nanoparticles exhibit long-term (at least 100 days) stability and high PFCE loading capacity in formulation with our semifluorinated triblock copolymer, M2F8H18. With sizes of approximately 200 nm, these NEs enable in vivo delivery and passive targeting to tumors. Our diagnostic formulation, M2F8H18/PFCE NE, yielded in vivo 19F-MR images with a high signal-to-noise ratio up to 100 in a tumor-bearing mouse model at clinically relevant scan times. M2F8H18/PFCE NE circulated stably in the vasculature, accumulated in high concentration of an estimated 4-9 × 1017 19F spins/voxel at the tumor site, and cleared from most organs over the span of 2 weeks. Uptake by the mononuclear phagocyte system to the liver and spleen was also observed, most likely due to particle size. These promising results suggest that M2F8H18/PFCE NE is a favorable 19F-MR diagnostic tracer for further development in oncological studies and potential clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexa R. Heaton
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Ave Madison WI 53706, USA
| | - Lawrence M. Lechuga
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Ave Madison WI 53705, USA
| | | | - Kai D. Ludwig
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Ave Madison WI 53705, USA
| | - Sean B. Fain
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Ave Madison WI 53705, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive Iowa City IA 52242, USA
| | - Sandro Mecozzi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Ave Madison WI 53706, USA
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 777 Highland Ave Madison WI 53705, USA
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Barres AR, Molugu SK, Stewart PL, Mecozzi S. Droplet Core Intermolecular Interactions and Block Copolymer Composition Heavily Influence Oil-In-Water Nanoemulsion Stability. Langmuir 2019; 35:12765-12772. [PMID: 31532686 PMCID: PMC7454039 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b01519] [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] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Colloidal oil-in-water nanoemulsions are gaining increasing interest as a nanoparticle delivery system because of their large oil droplet core that can carry a large payload. In order to formulate these particles with long-term stability, an appropriate oil media and block copolymer pair must be selected. The interaction between the nanoemulsion core and the polymer shell is critical to forming stable nanoparticles. Herein, we probed how interactions between various polymers with hydrocarbon and perfluorocarbon oil media influenced nanoemulsion formation, stability, and size. Through a series of nanoemulsions with unique polymer/oil media combinations, we examined the effects of oil core hydrophobicity, fluorophilicity, surface charge, and volume as well as the effects of polymer tail composition. Surprisingly, we found that nanoemulsions formulated with pure perfluorocarbon oil cores versus perfluoro poly(ether) oil cores exhibited very different characteristics. We also found that both hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon polymer tails interacted favorably with perfluoro poly(ethers) as well as hydrocarbon oil cores forming stable nanoemulsions. We believe these results are focused on the unique properties of perfluorocarbons especially their rigidity, low polarizability, and near-zero surface charge. Interestingly, we saw that perfluoro poly(ethers) deviated from these expected properties resulting in an increased versatility when formulating nanoemulsions with perfluoro poly(ether) oil cores compared to pure perfluorocarbon oil cores. Nanoemulsion size, stability, growth rate, and life time were explored to probe these factors. Experimental and computational data are presented as a rationale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexa R. Barres
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Ave Madison WI 53706, USA
| | - Sudheer K. Molugu
- School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave Cleveland OH 44106, USA
| | - Phoebe L. Stewart
- School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave Cleveland OH 44106, USA
| | - Sandro Mecozzi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Ave Madison WI 53706, USA
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 777 Highland Ave Madison WI 53705, USA
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Xu T, Tu K, Cheng J, Ni Y, Zhang L, Cheng Z, Zhu X. Organocatalytic Approach to Functional Semifluorinated Polymers Driven by Visible Light. Macromol Rapid Commun 2018; 39:e1800151. [PMID: 29900627 DOI: 10.1002/marc.201800151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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: 02/19/2018] [Revised: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Through the construction of an organic photocatalysis system, photoredox catalyst (PC)/additive, where PC stands for photoredox catalyst, an organocatalyzed step transfer-addition and radical-termination (O-START) polymerization irradiated by blue LED light at room temperature is realized. Different types of α,ω-diiodoperfluoroalkane A and α,ω-unconjugated diene B are copolymerized through O-START efficiently, and generate various kinds of functional semifluorinated polymers, including polyolefins and polyesters. The process is affected by several factors; solvents, additives, and feed ratio of A to B. After optimization of all these components, the polymerization efficiency is greatly improved, generating polymers with both relatively high yield and molecular weight. Considering the mild reaction condition, easy operation process, and free-of-metal-catalyst residues in the polymer product, the organocatalytic polymerization strategy provides a simple and efficient approach to functional semifluorinated polymer materials and hopefully opens up their application in high-tech fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianchi Xu
- Suzhou key Laboratory of Macromolecular Design and Precision Synthesis, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Kai Tu
- Suzhou key Laboratory of Macromolecular Design and Precision Synthesis, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Jiannan Cheng
- Suzhou key Laboratory of Macromolecular Design and Precision Synthesis, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Yuanyuan Ni
- Suzhou key Laboratory of Macromolecular Design and Precision Synthesis, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Lifen Zhang
- Suzhou key Laboratory of Macromolecular Design and Precision Synthesis, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Zhenping Cheng
- Suzhou key Laboratory of Macromolecular Design and Precision Synthesis, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Xiulin Zhu
- Suzhou key Laboratory of Macromolecular Design and Precision Synthesis, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
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Abstract
The presence of a perfluorocarbon block in a multiblock polymer has been shown to be an additional driving force toward nanoparticle assembly. In the preparation of nanoemulsions, this perfluorocarbon block also provides enhanced particle stability. Herein, the synthesis of a new triphilic, semifluorinated copolymer, M2F8H18, is introduced. This ABC type block copolymer can be used to formulate extremely stable nanoemulsions, assembled around a lipophilic droplet, with lifetimes of one year or more. The central oil droplet can stably solubilize high concentrations of hydrophobic drugs, making this system an ideal drug delivery vehicle. The incorporation of the perfluorocarbon block modulates drug release from the lipophilic core via the surrounding fluorous shell. Fluorous imaging agents incorporated into the fluorous shell prolong drug release even further as well as provide potent 19F-MRI contrast ability. In vitro studies show that these nanoemulsions efficiently inhibit cancer cell growth, thus providing a theranostic drug delivery system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexa R Barres
- Department of Chemistry and ‡School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Megan R Wimmer
- Department of Chemistry and ‡School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Sandro Mecozzi
- Department of Chemistry and ‡School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
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