Conjugation of functionalized SPIONs with transferrin for targeting and imaging brain glial tumors in rat model.

Abstract

Currently, effective and specific diagnostic imaging of brain glioma is a major challenge. Nanomedicine plays an essential role by delivering the contrast agent in a targeted manner to specific tumor cells, leading to improvement in accurate diagnosis by good visualization and specific demonstration of tumor cells. This study investigated the preparation and characterization of a targeted MR contrast agent, transferrin-conjugated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Tf-SPIONs), for brain glioma detection. MR imaging showed the obvious contrast change of brain glioma before and after administration of Tf-SPIONs in C6 glioma rat model in vivo on T2 weighted imaging. Significant contrast enhancement of brain glioma could still be clearly seen even 48 h post injection, due to the retention of Tf-SPIONs in cytoplasm of tumor cells which was proved by Prussian blue staining. Thus, these results suggest that Tf-SPIONs could be a potential targeting MR contrast agent for the brain glioma.

• Authors: Weili Jiang, Hui Xie, Devina Ghoorah, Yalei Shang, Haojun Shi, Fang Liu, Xiangliang Yang, Haibo Xu
• Journal: PloS one (PLoS One) Vol. 7 Issue 5 Pg. e37376 ( 2012) ISSN: 1932-6203 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 22615995 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Contrast Media
• Dextrans
• Ferric Compounds
• Magnetite Nanoparticles
• Transferrin
• ferric oxide
• ferumoxides

Topics

• Animals
• Brain Neoplasms (diagnosis)
• Contrast Media (administration & dosage)
• Dextrans
• Ferric Compounds
• Glioma (diagnosis)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (methods)
• Magnetite Nanoparticles
• Male
• Neuroimaging (methods)
• Rats
• Rats, Wistar
• Transferrin