Nanoparticle uptake by macrophages in vulnerable plaques for atherosclerosis diagnosis

Abstract

The composition of atherosclerotic (AS) plaques is crucial concerning rupture, thrombosis and clinical events. Two plaque types are distinguished: stable and vulnerable plaques. Vulnerable plaques are rich in inflammatory cells, mostly only M1 macrophages, and are highly susceptible to rupture. These plaques represent a high risk particularly with the standard invasive diagnosis by coronary angiography. So far there are no non‐invasive low‐risk clinical approaches available to detect and distinguish AS plaque types in vivo. The perspective review introduces a whole work‐flow for a novel approach for non‐invasive detection and classification of AS plaques using the diffusion reflection method with gold nanoparticle loaded macrophages in combination with flow and image cytometric analysis for quality assurance. Classical biophotonic methods for AS diagnosis are summarized. Phenotyping of monocytes and macrophages are discussed for specific subset labelling by nanomaterials, as well as existing studies and first experimental proofs of concept for the novel approach are shown.

Raman imaging of macrophages incubated with triglyceride-enriched oxLDL visualizes translocation of lipids between endocytic vesicles and lipid droplets

“…Optical techniques are often focused on investigating the composition and vulnerability of plaques (20)(21)(22). But for the characterization of early plaque development, the cellular level of lipid metabolism is also of foremost interest.…”

Identification of Postoperative Margins of Glioblastoma Multiforme Using Gold Nanoparticles Conjugated to Epidermal Growth Factor Antibodies

“…Rod-shaped GNPs were used, with a spectral peak of 660 nm [17,18]. The GNPs were conjugated to two different anti-EGFR antibodies: a recombinant human/mouse chimeric EGFR monoclonal antibody [Cetuximab (Erbitux), Merck KGaA, Germany] and an affinity purified rabbit polyclonal antibody (PDGFR-α, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA, USA).…”

“…between chromosome 7 polysomy and GBM prognosis, and findings in the literature for the prognostic significance of EGFR overexpression are contradictory. One study suggested that it is indicative of poorer outcome [19] but others failed to support this conclusion [5,17,18,22], except in pediatric GBM, in which overexpression of EGFR was linked to a worse prognosis [23].…”

Detection of gold nanorods uptake by macrophages using scattering analyses combined with diffusion reflection measurements as a potential tool for in vivo atherosclerosis tracking

“…2,11 After MΦ differentiation, the cells were loaded with GNP. The MΦ were incubated with the GNS or GNR at 37°C (95% humidity) for 24 hours in Roswell Park Memorial Institute medium.…”

“…2 On the molecular level, a specific molecular or cellular target is required that is specifically expressed between stable and vulnerable plaques. 5 Many noninvasive techniques are commonly used for molecular detection purposes.…”