title: Contrast enhancement of the brain by folate-conjugated gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid-human serum albumin nanoparticles by magnetic resonance imaging.
abstract: Different from regular small molecule contrast agents, nanoparticle-based contrast agents have a longer circulation time and can be modified with ligands to confer tissue-specific contrasting properties. We evaluated the tissue distribution of polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) prepared from human serum albumin (HSA), loaded with gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) (Gd-HSA-NP), and coated with folic acid (FA) (Gd-HSA-NP-FA) in mice by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). FA increases the affinity of the Gd-HSA-NP to FA receptor-expressing cells. Clinical 3 T MRI was used to evaluate the signal intensities in the different organs of mice injected with Gd-DTPA, Gd-HSA-NP, or Gd-HSA-NP-FA. Signal intensities were measured and standardized by calculating the signal to noise ratios. In general, the NP-based contrast agents provided stronger contrasting than Gd-DTPA. Gd-HSA-NP-FA provided a significant contrast enhancement (CE) in the brain (p  =  .0032), whereas Gd-DTPA or Gd-HSA-NP did not. All studied MRI contrast agents showed significant CE in the blood, kidney, and liver (p < .05). Gd-HSA-NP-FA elicited significantly higher CE in the blood than Gd-HSA-NP (p  =  .0069); Gd-HSA-NP and Gd-HSA-NP-FA did not show CE in skeletal muscle and gallbladder; Gd-HSA-NP, but not Gd-HSA-NP-FA, showed CE in the cardiac muscle. Gd-HSA-NP-FA has potential as an MRI contrast agent in the brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany. huedayi.korkusuz@kgu.de
authors.forename: Huedayi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Korkusuz
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ulbrich
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bihrer
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Welzel
authors.forename: Valery
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chernikov
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Knobloch
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huebner
authors.forename: Hanns
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ackermann
authors.forename: Svetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gelperina
authors.forename: Yuecel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Korkusuz
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kromen
authors.forename: Renate
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hammerstingl
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haupenthal
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fiehler
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zeuzem
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kreuter
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Vogl
authors.forename: Albrecht
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piiper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005492:Folic Acid; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012709:Serum Albumin; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D012709:Serum Albumin; D005492:Folic Acid; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA