Selective contrast agents with potential to the earlier detection of tumors: Insights on synthetic pathways, physicochemical properties and performance in MRI assays

Abstract

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) have been prepared and stabilized with three organic acids (tartaric, malic and ascorbic) in order to obtain biocompatible and water dispersible MNPs with potential to bind specifically to tumoral cancer cells. An in deep characterization was performed aiming to verify the presence and effect of the coating and stabilizer on MNPs surface. Besides the mechanisms followed by the different acids to bind MNPs were elucidated and used to justify the differences in the physicochemical properties of each formulation. Data related to characterization revealed that MNPs coated with ascorbic acid (MNPs-AA) resulted the most suitable in terms of their size, surface charge and stability along the time. Besides, ascorbic acid may be recognized by GLUTs receptors that are overexpressed in several kinds of tumoral cells. Therefore, MNPs-AA was selected to explore its performance in both MRI and in vitro assays using human colon cancer cells HCT 116. MRI experiments were performed in clinical equipment using a series of aqueous dispersions of MNPs-AA that were evaluated as T contrast agent. The T- weighted images obtained as well as the calculated r2, indicated that MNPs-AA could act as efficient T contrast agent for MRI. Regarding in vitro assays, MNPs-AA did not alter the cellular function neither exert cytotoxicity using the three explored doses. The internalization of the nanoparticles on the cellular structure was confirmed quanti and qualitatively using atomic absorption spectroscopy and Prussian blue techniques respectively. From these results, it emerges that ascorbic acid coated-magnetite nanoparticles may be used as alternative contrast agent to avoid or minimize some toxicological issues related to the widely used gadolinium.

Nanotechnology-Based Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies for Neuroblastoma

“…It has been demonstrated that PBNPs do not cause significant organ damage or abnormalities in heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys in mice ( Fu et al, 2014 ; Zhao et al, 2018 ). Importantly, PBNPs exhibit good biocompatibility in humans, as demonstrated by their long-term presence in human serum without causing significant toxicity ( Shokouhimehr et al, 2010 ; Montiel Schneider et al, 2018 ). Most current studies have focused only on the efficacy of nanomaterials in vitro and in vivo , while the observation of their resulting toxic effects is often neglected.…”

Cell membrane-coated nanomaterials for cancer therapy

“…Prussian blue is often used as a contrast agent in photoacoustic and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during clinical diagnosis and treatment and can be used as a photothermal agent in PTT. However, its biological behavior is still unclear, and its shape and specification for PTT need to be further explored [ 72 , 73 ].…”

β-cyclodextrin coating: improving biocompatibility of magnetic nanocomposites for biomedical applications

“…The emergence of magnetic nanomaterials applicable in biomedicine has led to extensive research on the development of new nanosystems based on magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) [1]. They find applications in diverse fields such as transport and drug targeting [2], treatment of oncological diseases by hyperthermia [3], and diagnosis by magnetic resonance imaging [4]. When the development of nanomaterials is oriented to biomedicine, it is fundamental to consider the toxicological aspects.…”