Imaging breast cancer using a dual-ligand nanochain particle

PLoS One. 2018 Oct 18;13(10):e0204296. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204296. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Nanoparticles often only exploit the upregulation of a receptor on cancer cells to enhance intratumoral deposition of therapeutic and imaging agents. However, a single targeting moiety assumes that a tumor is homogenous and static. Tumoral microenvironments are both heterogenous and dynamic, often displaying variable spatial and temporal expression of targetable receptors throughout disease progression. Here, we evaluated the in vivo performance of an iron oxide nanoparticle in terms of targeting and imaging of orthotropic mouse models of aggressive breast tumors. The nanoparticle, a multi-component nanochain, was comprised of 3-5 iron oxide nanoparticles chemically linked in a linear chain. The nanoparticle's surface was decorated with two types of ligands each targeting two different upregulated biomarkers on the tumor endothelium, P-selectin and fibronectin. The nanochain exhibited improved tumor deposition not only through vascular targeting but also through its elongated structure. A single-ligand nanochain exhibited a ~2.5-fold higher intratumoral deposition than a spherical nanoparticle variant. Furthermore, the dual-ligand nanochain exhibited higher consistency in generating detectable MR signals compared to a single-ligand nanochain. Using a 7T MRI, the dual-ligand nanochains exhibited highly detectable MR signal within 3h after injection in two different animal models of breast cancer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Breast Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Female
  • Ferrous Compounds / chemistry
  • Fibronectins / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Mice
  • Molecular Imaging
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Neoplasm Transplantation
  • P-Selectin / metabolism*
  • Peptides / administration & dosage*
  • Peptides / chemistry
  • Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

  • Ferrous Compounds
  • Fibronectins
  • P-Selectin
  • Peptides