Molecular nanoprobe for diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the most leading cause of disease-related death worldwide. Current diagnostic modalities such as biomarkers and electrocardiography are relatively limited, which urgently develop new and effective techniques. Recently, molecular imaging has gained extensive attention in CVD diagnosis due to its ability to non-invasively visualize and quantify physio-pathological processes. However, the current mainstream imaging agents are limited by low specificity, short retention time, and severe side effects. Fortunately, with the development of nanomedicine, nanomaterials could play an important role in molecular imaging and CVD diagnosis. Here, we first summarize the concepts and characteristics of different molecular imaging, then focus on the application of nanoprobes as imaging agents in molecular imaging of CVD, and finally briefly introduce the challenges and prospects of nanomaterials-based molecular imaging.