Fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a type II transmembrane serine protease, is highly expressed in more than 90% of epithelial tumors and is closely associated with various tumor invasion, metastasis, and prognosis. Using FAP as a target, various FAP inhibitors (FAPIs) have been developed, most of which have nanomolar levels of FAP affinity and high selectivity and are used for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of different tumors. We have conducted a systematic review of the available data; summarized the biological principles of FAPIs for PET imaging, the synthesis model, and metabolic characteristics of the radiotracer; and compared the respective values of FAPIs and the current mainstream tracer 18F-Fludeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) in the clinical management of tumor and non-tumor lesions. Available research evidence indicates that FAPIs are a molecular imaging tool complementary to 18F-FDG and are expected to be the new molecule of the century with better imaging effects than 18F-FDG in a variety of cancers, including gastrointestinal tumors, liver tumors, breast tumors, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
The iRGD peptide loaded with iron oxide nanoparticles for tumor targeting and tissue penetration was developed for targeted tumor therapy and ultrasensitive MR imaging. Binding of iRGD, a tumor homing peptide, is mediated by integrins, which are widely expressed on the surface of cells. Several types of small molecular drugs and nanoparticles can be transfected into cells with the help of iRGD peptide. Thus, we postulate that SPIO nanoparticles, which have good biocompatibility, can also be transfected into cells using iRGD. Despite the many kinds of cell labeling studies that have been performed with SPIO nanoparticles and RGD peptide or its analogues, only a few have applied SPIO nanoparticles with iRGD peptide in pancreatic cancer cells. This paper reports our preliminary findings regarding the effect of iRGD peptide (CRGDK/RGPD/EC) combined with SPIO on the labeling of pancreatic cancer cells. The results suggest that SPIO with iRGD peptide can enhance the positive labeling rate of cells and the uptake of SPIO. Optimal functionalization was achieved with the appropriate concentration or concentration range of SPIO and iRGD peptide. This study describes a simple and economical protocol to label panc-1 cells using SPIO in combination with iRGD peptide and may provide a useful method to improve the sensitivity of pancreatic cancer imaging.
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