This study demonstrates the feasibility of using nanoshells in vivo as a new contrast-enhancing agent for photoacoustic tomography. Deep
penetrating near-infrared light was employed to image the in vivo distribution of poly(ethylene glycol)-coated nanoshells circulating in the
vasculature of a rat brain. The images, captured after three sequential administrations of nanoshells, present a gradual enhancement of the
optical absorption in the brain vessels by up to 63%. Subsequent clearance of the nanoshells from the blood was imaged for ∼6 h after the
administrations.
Natural polyphenols with previously demonstrated anticancer potential, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), tannic acid, curcumin, and theaflavin, were encased into gelatin-based 200 nm nanoparticles consisting of a soft gel-like interior with or without a surrounding LbL shell of polyelectrolytes (polystyrene sulfonate/polyallylamine hydrochloride, polyglutamic acid/poly-l-lysine, dextran sulfate/protamine sulfate, carboxymethyl cellulose/gelatin, type A) assembled using the layer-by-layer technique. The characteristics of polyphenol loading and factors affecting their release from the nanocapsules were investigated. Nanoparticle-encapsulated EGCG retained its biological activity and blocked hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-induced intracellular signaling in the breast cancer cell line MBA-MD-231 as potently as free EGCG.
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