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Multifunctional Nanoparticles for Molecular Imaging

Article information

J Korean Med Assoc. 2009;52(2):125-134
Publication date (electronic) : 2009 February 28
doi : https://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2009.52.2.125
Eunah Kang, Ph.D, Kwangmeyung Kim, Ph.D, Ick Chan Kwon, Ph.D
Biomedical Research Center, Korea Institute of Science & Technology, Korea. ekang@kist.re.kr, kim@kist.re.kr, ikwon@kist.re.kr

Abstract

Molecular imaging is a bioimaging that can detect biochemically and genetically relevant events in molecular level in cells and tissues via quantitative imaging signal. Molecular imaging provides potential advantages to examine early diagnosis of specific diseases, to screen new candidates of a drug, to monitor therapeutic effects in real time, and to communicate with both diagnosis and therapeutics. These diverse advantages of molecular imaging can be allowed by development of nanoplatform technology. The nanoplatform-based probes for molecular imaging is widely investigated to grant multimodal molecular imaging and drug delivery together with medical imagings, which includes the issues of biocompatibility, targeting moiety, protease-specific peptide substrate, quenching/dequenching system etc. In this paper, nanoplatform-based probes are reviewed in aspects of cancer targeting for diagnosis and therapy and multimodal molecular imaging with inorganic/organic hybrid nanoparticles.

Keywords: Bioimaging; Multimodality; Nanoparticles; Activatable; Targeting; Biodistribution

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Article information Continued

Copyright © 2009 Korean Medical Association

Figure 1

Figure 1

Hydrophobically modified chitosan (HGC) nanoparticles targeting for atherosclerosis via homing peptide, (A) Schematic picture of atherosclerotic homing peptide conjugated HGC, (B) NIR fluorescence imaging that HGCs were localized on atherosclerotic regions in vivo, (C) histological morphology of atherosclerotic region of aorta vessel. Modified with permission from Ref. 5. Copyright ©, 2008 Elsevier C.V.

Figure 2

Figure 2

Nanostructure of polymersome, (A) schematic nanostructure of polymersome and dye loading within hydrophobic bilayer, (B) NIR fluorescence imaging in vivo via polymersome probe. Modified with permission from ref. 6. Cpolyright 2005 PNAS.

Figure 3

Figure 3

HGC nanoparticle for cancer imaging, (A) schematic picture of Cy 5.5 labeled HGC, (B) NIR fluorescence imaging in vivo for tumor targeting using Cy 5.5 labeled HGC nanoparticles, (C) Quantitative analysis of fluorescence signal for tumor to background signal ratio, (D) biodistribution in organs ex vivo. Modifiedwith permission from ref. 7. Copyright © 2008 Elsevier B.V.

Figure 4

Figure 4

pH sensitive micelle with cell penetrating peptide TAT, (A) schematic picture to show the structural change of micelle at pH variance. TAT moieties are faced outward at weak acid of tumor site. (B) NIR fluorescence imaging in vivo of tumor targeting via pH sensitive micelle with TAT moieties. Modified with permission from ref. 12. Copyright © 2008 Elsevier B.V.

Figure 5

Figure 5

Protease-specific nanoparticle probe, (A) Schematic picture of poly (L-Lysine) nanoparticles, (B) Schematric picture of selective degradation of polymer main backbone by protease, (C) NIR fluorescence bioimaging that was emitted by the cleavage of lysine substrates. Modified with permission from ref. 21. Copyright 1999, Nature Publishing Group.

Figure 6

Figure 6

MMP specific peptide probes (A) Schematic picture of cleavage mechanism between MMP and MMP specific peptide substrate that was quenched by Cy5.5/BHQ system, (B) Sensitive fluorescence emission by MMP cleavage dependence in vitro characterization, (C) NIR fluorescence bioimaging that was activated by MMP in tumor site via MMP activatable probe. Modified with permission from 19. Copyright 2008, American Chemical Society.

Figure 7

Figure 7

Inorganic MMP activatable gold nanoprobe (A) schematic picture of gold nanoprobe that is activated by cleavage of MMP specific peptide substrate, (B) in vitro characterization of MMP dependence of MMP activatable gold nanoparticles, (C) NIR fluorescence imaging, Fluorescence intensity is emitted in only tumor site by MMP cleavage of peptide substrate that was conjugated on gold nanoparticle. Quenched fluorescence probe by gold nanoparticles was emitted as Cy 5.5 was departed from gold nanoparticles. Modified with permission from ref. 18. Copyright © 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co.

Figure 8

Figure 8

Multifunctional quantum dots with dual imaging modality, (A) schematic picture of multifunctional quantum dot nanoparticles with multimodality. Multifunctional nanocomplex;Paramagnetic lipid for MRI and quantum doe for fluorescence, RGD peptide for targeting, PEG for biocompatibility, (B) MRI image administered with multifunctional quantum dots, (C) Fluorescence bioimaging. Modified with permission from ref. 29. Copyright © 2008 Springer.

Table 1

Target protease and peptide substrates for specific cancers and diseases

Table 1

*This table was modified with permission (33).