Photoacoustic imaging of clofazimine hydrochloride nanoparticle accumulation in cancerous vs normal prostates

Abstract

Prostate cancer was the most common form and had the second highest death rate of male cancer in the United States in 2015. Current diagnosis techniques, such as prostate-specific antigen tests, transrectal ultrasound scans, and biopsies, are often inconclusive, and in the latter case, invasive. Here, we explore the use of clofazimine hydrochloride nanoparticles (CFZ-HCl NPs), a repurposed formulation from an FDA-approved antimycobacterial agent, as a photoacoustic contrast agent for the evaluation of prostate cancer due to its macrophage-targeting capabilities and high optical absorbance at 495 nm. Using a transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) mouse model, our results indicate a preferential accumulation of intravenously injected CFZ-HCl NPs in cancerous prostates over normal prostates. Differences in accumulation of CFZ-HCl NPs between cancerous and normal prostates were determined using a two-wavelength unmixing technique via ex vivo photoacoustic imaging. Thus, intravenous injection of CFZ-HCl NPs leads to differences in the interactions of the particles with cancerous vs normal prostates, while allowing for photoacoustic detection and analysis of prostate cancer. These findings could lead to the development of a new noninvasive technique for the detection and monitoring of prostate cancer progression in an animal model that can potentially be translated to human patients.

Application of Nanomaterials in Biomedical Imaging and Cancer Therapy

“…The experimental results on transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate model showed a preferential accumulation of the NPs in a cancerous prostate cell over the control. This allows PAI and analysis of prostate cancer [ 122 ]. Photoacoustic imaging has a penetration depth of a few cm and can generate useful endogenous contrast from melanin and oxy-/deoxyhemoglobin.…”

Current Strategies of Photoacoustic Imaging Assisted Cancer Theragnostics toward Clinical Studies

“…The ovarian and prostate area can be comprehensively analyzed with the advantages of combining more than one imaging modality. Moreover, many promising nanotherapeutic systems are developed and combined with a multimode imaging system, resulting in a greater application prospect of the PAI in diagnosing ovarian and prostate cancer. ,− However, invasive detection mode, even with minimal invasiveness, can be uncomfortable and may cause additional complications such as bleeding or infection. , These aspects inspired the researchers to develop a full noninvasive diagnosis method for internal organs like prostate and ovarian cancer in deep penetration.…”