Current advances in the imaging of atherosclerotic vulnerable plaque using nanoparticles

Ming Zhang; Zhongjian Xie; Haijiao Long; Kun Ren; Lianjie Hou; Yu Wang; Xiaodan Xu; Weixing Lei; Zhicheng Yang; Shakeel Ahmed; Han Zhang; Guojun Zhao

doi:10.1016/j.mtbio.2022.100236

Current advances in the imaging of atherosclerotic vulnerable plaque using nanoparticles

Mater Today Bio. 2022 Mar 7:14:100236. doi: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2022.100236. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Authors

Ming Zhang¹, Zhongjian Xie^{2

3}, Haijiao Long⁴, Kun Ren⁵, Lianjie Hou¹, Yu Wang¹, Xiaodan Xu⁶, Weixing Lei⁷, Zhicheng Yang¹, Shakeel Ahmed⁸, Han Zhang⁹, Guojun Zhao¹

Affiliations

¹ The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, 511500, Guangdong, China.
² Institute of Pediatrics, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, 518038, Guangdong, China.
³ Shenzhen International Institute for Biomedical Research, Shenzhen, 518116, Guangdong, China.
⁴ Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 421001, Hunan, China.
⁵ Institute of Clinical Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 570100, Hainan, China.
⁶ Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China.
⁷ Guilin Medical University, Guilin, 541199, Guangxi, China.
⁸ College of Physics and Optoelectronics Engineering Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
⁹ Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, and Otolaryngology Department and Biobank of the First Affiliated Hospital, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.

Abstract

Vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques of the artery wall that pose a significant risk of cardio-cerebral vascular accidents remain the global leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Thus, early delineation of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques is of clinical importance for prevention and treatment. The currently available imaging technologies mainly focus on the structural assessment of the vascular wall. Unfortunately, several disadvantages in these strategies limit the improvement in imaging effect. Nanoparticle technology is a novel diagnostic strategy for targeting and imaging pathological biomarkers. New functionalized nanoparticles that detect hallmarks of vulnerable plaques are promising for advance further control of this critical illness. The review aims to address the current opportunities and challenges for the use of nanoparticle technology in imagining vulnerable plaques.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; Hallmark; Imaging; Nanoparticle; Vulnerable plaque.

Publication types

Review