Iron-containing drugs can be considered beneficial for
noninvasive
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and induction of essential biochemical
processes. Herein, we present a new type of iron-containing drug based
on molecular nanoparticles of ferric–tannic complexes (FTs),
which could be used to enhance noninvasive brain MRI and modulate
brain clearance pathways. Once intravenously administered to healthy
Wistar rats, the maximum enhancement of the T
1-weighted MRI signal was observed at 0.5 h postinjection,
corresponding to their maximum accumulation in the brain. After this
time, FTs were rapidly cleared by the brain, which was possibly modulated
by organic anion transporters present at the blood–brain barrier.
This result describes the “come-and-run” concept of
FTs, which could be utilized as a brain-targeting agent for various
purposes. Although the “come-and-run” mechanism allows
them to have a short half-life in the brain, they remain long enough
to activate brain clearance pathways such as autophagy, lysosomal
function, and cellular clearance. Therefore, FTs could be considered
new clinically translatable pharmaceuticals for brain MRI and the
prevention of brain aging and related diseases.
Herein, we present molecular nanoparticles of ferric–tannic
complexes (so called ferric–tannic nanoparticles, FT NPs) used
to enhance the MRI signal in the early stage of hepatocarcinoma. FT
NPs were found to accumulate in the hepatic parenchyma without tumor
nodules of Wistar rats in which hepatocarcinogenicity had been induced
using diethylnitrosamine (DEN). The MRI enhancement and accumulation
of FT NPs were clearly observed in the early phase of hepatocarcinogenicity,
which was possibly modulated by various solute carrier family members
present in the entire hepatic parenchyma of the DEN-induced rats.
These findings suggest that MRI with FT NPs is promising for the assessment
of the early stage of hepatocarcinoma.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.