title: Gd-doped BNNTs as T2-weighted MRI contrast agents.
abstract: This work describes, for the first time, doping of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) with gadolinium (Gd@BNNTs), a stable functionalization that permits non-invasive BNNT tracking via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We report the structure, Gd loading, and relaxometric properties in water suspension at 7 T of Gd@BNNTs, and show the behaviour of these nanostructures as promising T2-weighted contrast agents. Finally, we demonstrate their complete biocompatibility in vitro on human neuroblastoma cells, together with their ability to effectively label and affect contrast in MRI images at 7 T.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Micro-BioRobotics@SSSA, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, Pontedera, Pisa, Italy. gianni.ciofani@iit.it
authors.forename: Gianni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciofani
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boni
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Calucci
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Forte
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gozzi
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mazzolai
authors.forename: Virgilio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mattoli
mesh_terms: D001896:Boron Compounds; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D005682:Gadolinium; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D036103:Nanotechnology; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D001896:Boron Compounds; D003287:Contrast Media; C017282:boron nitride; D005682:Gadolinium