Abstract
Molecular medical imaging is intended to increase the accuracy of diagnosis, particularly in cardiovascular and cancer-related diseases, where early detection could significantly increase the treatment success rate. In this study, we present mixed micelles formed from four building blocks as a magnetic resonance imaging targeted contrast agent for the detection of atheroma and cancer cells. The building blocks are a gadolinium-loaded DOTA ring responsible for contrast enhancement, a fibrin-specific CREKA pentapeptide responsible for targeting, a fluorescent dye and DSPE-PEG2000. The micelles were fully characterized in terms of their size, zeta potential, stability, relaxivity and toxicity. Target binding assays performed on fibrin clots were quantified by fluorescence and image signal intensities and proved the binding power. An additional internalization assay showed that the micelles were also designed to specifically enter into cancer cells. Overall, these multimodal mixed micelles represent a potential formulation for MRI molecular imaging of atheroma and cancer cells.
Highlights
Cardiovascular disease and cancer are the primary causes of human death worldwide [1]
We present mixed micelles formed from four building blocks as a magnetic resonance imaging targeted contrast agent for the detection of atheroma and cancer cells
These multimodal mixed micelles represent a potential formulation for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) molecular imaging of atheroma and cancer cells
Summary
Cardiovascular disease and cancer are the primary causes of human death worldwide [1]. Med ical imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography, positron emission tomography or ultrasound are commonly used for the detection and diagnosis of these diseases. MRI is a noninvasive diagnostic procedure that allows imaging of all parts of the human body, especially soft tissues [5]. To overcome the low sensitivity of the technique and to highlight different tissues that would normally have the same contrast, gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents (Gd-CA), in which the Gd(III) cation is strongly chelated, are commonly injected during MRI scans. They affect the signal by shortening the
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