Nanoparticles in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Biology and Medicines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 9931

Special Issue Editors

Radiochemical Studies Laboratory, Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences & Technology, Energy & Safety, National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos, Athens, Greece
Interests: nanoparticles; drug design; targeted molecular imaging and therapy; radiolabeled nanoparticles; theranostics
Radiochemical Studies Laboratory, Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences & Technology, Energy & Safety, National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos, Athens, Greece
Interests: nanoparticles; theranostics; PET/SPECT/MR Imaging; radiolabeled nanoparticles; nanobrachytherapy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years we have witnessed the development of a plethora of nanoparticles for application in disease diagnosis and therapy. The design and synthesis of novel nanoparticles present an exciting challenge for researchers active in the fields of materials science, bioengineering, chemistry, pharmacology, physics and medicine, as the endpoint of the quest for an improved theranostic nanoparticle agent will be the earlier diagnosis and/or therapy of diseases with great socio-economic impact, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. The current Special Issue of Pharmaceutics entitled” Nanoparticles in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications” provides a collection of works focusing on the development of innovative nanoparticle systems for application either as imaging agents for various biomedical imaging modalities, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), or for therapeutic applications, such as Hyperthermia (HT), Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) or Radionuclide Therapy. Special attention will be given to review articles or original contributions focusing on nanoparticles with both diagnostic and therapeutic potential (e.g., drug-loaded nanoparticles with biomedical imaging capacity or magnetic nanoparticles for MRI diagnosis and magnetic hyperthermia of cancer).

It is our pleasure to invite you to send your contributions (full research papers, review articles, communications) to this Special Issue.

Dr. Charalampos Tsoukalas
Dr. Penelope Bouziotis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • gold nanoparticles
  • magnetic nanoparticles
  • inorganic nanoparticles
  • PET/SPECT/MR Imaging
  • multimodal imaging
  • radiolabeled nanoparticles
  • nanoparticles and theranostics
  • nanobrachytherapy
  • photodynamic therapy
  • hyperthermia

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3061 KiB  
Article
99mTc-Labeled Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as Dual-Modality Contrast Agent: A Preliminary Study from Synthesis to Magnetic Resonance and Gamma-Camera Imaging in Mice Models
by Maria-Argyro Karageorgou, Aristotelis-Nikolaos Rapsomanikis, Marija Mirković, Sanja Vranješ-Ðurić, Efstathios Stiliaris, Penelope Bouziotis and Dimosthenis Stamopoulos
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(15), 2728; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12152728 - 08 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1704
Abstract
The combination of two imaging modalities in a single agent has received increasing attention during the last few years, since its synergistic action guarantees both accurate and timely diagnosis. For this reason, dual-modality contrast agents (DMCAs), such as radiolabeled iron oxide (namely Fe [...] Read more.
The combination of two imaging modalities in a single agent has received increasing attention during the last few years, since its synergistic action guarantees both accurate and timely diagnosis. For this reason, dual-modality contrast agents (DMCAs), such as radiolabeled iron oxide (namely Fe3O4) nanoparticles, constitute a powerful tool in diagnostic applications. In this respect, here we focus on the synthesis of a potential single photon emission computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (SPECT/MRI) DMCA, which consists of Fe3O4 nanoparticles, surface functionalized with 2,3-dicarboxypropane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (DPD) and radiolabeled with 99mTc, [99mTc]Tc-DPD-Fe3O4. The in vitro stability results showed that this DMCA is highly stable after 24 h of incubation in phosphate buffer saline (~92.3% intact), while it is adequately stable after 24 h of incubation with human serum (~67.3% intact). Subsequently, [99mTc]Tc-DPD-Fe3O4 DMCA was evaluated in vivo in mice models through standard biodistribution studies, MR imaging and gamma-camera imaging. All techniques provided consistent results, clearly evidencing noticeable liver uptake. Our work documents that [99mTc]Tc-DPD-Fe3O4 has all the necessary characteristics to be a potential DMCA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoparticles in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications)
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21 pages, 3573 KiB  
Article
Preliminary Evaluation of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Radiolabeled with 68Ga and 177Lu as Potential Theranostic Agents
by Evangelia-Alexandra Salvanou, Argiris Kolokithas-Ntoukas, Christos Liolios, Stavros Xanthopoulos, Maria Paravatou-Petsotas, Charalampos Tsoukalas, Konstantinos Avgoustakis and Penelope Bouziotis
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(14), 2490; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12142490 - 20 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1726
Abstract
Theranostic radioisotope pairs such as Gallium-68 (68Ga) for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Lutetium-177 (177Lu) for radioisotopic therapy, in conjunction with nanoparticles (NPs), are an emerging field in the treatment of cancer. The present work aims to demonstrate the [...] Read more.
Theranostic radioisotope pairs such as Gallium-68 (68Ga) for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Lutetium-177 (177Lu) for radioisotopic therapy, in conjunction with nanoparticles (NPs), are an emerging field in the treatment of cancer. The present work aims to demonstrate the ability of condensed colloidal nanocrystal clusters (co-CNCs) comprised of iron oxide nanoparticles, coated with alginic acid (MA) and stabilized by a layer of polyethylene glycol (MAPEG) to be directly radiolabeled with 68Ga and its therapeutic analog 177Lu. 68Ga/177Lu- MA and MAPEG were investigated for their in vitro stability. The biocompatibility of the non-radiolabeled nanoparticles, as well as the cytotoxicity of MA, MAPEG, and [177Lu]Lu-MAPEG were assessed on 4T1 cells. Finally, the ex vivo biodistribution of the 68Ga-labeled NPs as well as [177Lu]Lu-MAPEG was investigated in normal mice. Radiolabeling with both radioisotopes took place via a simple and direct labelling method without further purification. Hemocompatibility was verified for both NPs, while MTT studies demonstrated the non-cytotoxic profile of the nanocarriers and the dose-dependent toxicity for [177Lu]Lu-MAPEG. The radiolabeled nanoparticles mainly accumulated in RES organs. Based on our preliminary results, we conclude that MAPEG could be further investigated as a theranostic agent for PET diagnosis and therapy of cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoparticles in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications)
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19 pages, 9551 KiB  
Article
Green-Synthesized Silver Nanoparticle–Assisted Radiofrequency Ablation for Improved Thermal Treatment Distribution
by Zhannat Ashikbayeva, Arman Aitkulov, Timur Sh. Atabaev, Wilfried Blanc, Vassilis J. Inglezakis and Daniele Tosi
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(3), 426; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12030426 - 27 Jan 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2577
Abstract
Thermal ablation therapy is known as an advantageous alternative to surgery allowing the treatment of multiple tumors located in hard-to-reach locations or treating patients with medical conditions that are not compatible with surgery. Appropriate heat propagation and precise control over the heat propagation [...] Read more.
Thermal ablation therapy is known as an advantageous alternative to surgery allowing the treatment of multiple tumors located in hard-to-reach locations or treating patients with medical conditions that are not compatible with surgery. Appropriate heat propagation and precise control over the heat propagation is considered a weak point of thermal ablation therapy. In this work, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used to improve the heat propagation properties during the thermal ablation procedure. Green-synthesized silver nanoparticles offer several attractive features, such as excellent thermal conductivity, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial activity. A distributed multiplexed fiber optic sensing system is used to monitor precisely the temperature change during nanoparticle-assisted radiofrequency ablation. An array of six MgO-based nanoparticles doped optical fibers spliced to single-mode fibers allowed us to obtain the two-dimensional thermal maps in a real time employing optical backscattering reflectometry at 2 mm resolution and 120 sensing points. The silver nanoparticles at 5, 10, and 20 mg/mL were employed to investigate their heating effects at several positions on the tissue regarding the active electrode. In addition, the pristine tissue and tissue treated with agarose solution were also tested for reference purposes. The results demonstrated that silver nanoparticles could increase the temperature during thermal therapies by propagating the heat. The highest temperature increase was obtained for 5 mg/mL silver nanoparticles introduced to the area close to the electrode with a 102% increase of the ablated area compared to the pristine tissue. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoparticles in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications)
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18 pages, 3370 KiB  
Article
Biochemical and Metabolomic Changes after Electromagnetic Hyperthermia Exposure to Treat Colorectal Cancer Liver Implants in Rats
by Borja Herrero de la Parte, Mireia Irazola, Jorge Pérez-Muñoz, Irati Rodrigo, Sira Iturrizaga Correcher, Carmen Mar Medina, Kepa Castro, Nestor Etxebarria, Fernando Plazaola, Jose Ángel García, Ignacio García-Alonso and Jose Javier Echevarría-Uraga
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(5), 1318; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11051318 - 17 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2161
Abstract
Background: Hyperthermia (HT) therapy still remains relatively unknown, in terms of both its biological and therapeutic effects. This work aims to analyze the effects of exposure to HT, such as that required in anti-tumor magnetic hyperthermia therapies, using metabolomic and serum parameters routinely [...] Read more.
Background: Hyperthermia (HT) therapy still remains relatively unknown, in terms of both its biological and therapeutic effects. This work aims to analyze the effects of exposure to HT, such as that required in anti-tumor magnetic hyperthermia therapies, using metabolomic and serum parameters routinely analyzed in clinical practice. Methods: WAG/RigHsd rats were assigned to the different experimental groups needed to emulate all of the procedures involved in the treatment of liver metastases by HT. Twelve hours or ten days after the electromagnetic HT (606 kHz and 14 kA/m during 21 min), blood samples were retrieved and liver samples were obtained. 1H-nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR) was used to search for possible diagnostic biomarkers of HT effects on the rat liver tissue. All of the data obtained from the hydrophilic fraction of the tissues were analyzed and modeled using chemometric tools. Results: Hepatic enzyme levels were significantly increased in animals that underwent hyperthermia after 12 h, but 10 d later they could not be detected anymore. The metabolomic profile (main metabolic differences were found in phosphatidylcholine, taurine, glucose, lactate and pyruvate, among others) also showed that the therapy significantly altered metabolism in the liver within 12 h (with two different patterns); however, those changes reverted to a control-profile pattern after 10 days. Conclusions: Magnetic hyperthermia could be considered as a safe therapy to treat liver metastases, since it does not induce irreversible physiological changes after application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoparticles in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications)
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Review

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28 pages, 4388 KiB  
Review
Recent Progress in Technetium-99m-Labeled Nanoparticles for Molecular Imaging and Cancer Therapy
by Sajid Mushtaq, Asia Bibi, Jung Eun Park and Jongho Jeon
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(11), 3022; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11113022 - 10 Nov 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2757
Abstract
Nanotechnology has played a tremendous role in molecular imaging and cancer therapy. Over the last decade, scientists have worked exceptionally to translate nanomedicine into clinical practice. However, although several nanoparticle-based drugs are now clinically available, there is still a vast difference between preclinical [...] Read more.
Nanotechnology has played a tremendous role in molecular imaging and cancer therapy. Over the last decade, scientists have worked exceptionally to translate nanomedicine into clinical practice. However, although several nanoparticle-based drugs are now clinically available, there is still a vast difference between preclinical products and clinically approved drugs. An efficient translation of preclinical results to clinical settings requires several critical studies, including a detailed, highly sensitive, pharmacokinetics and biodistribution study, and selective and efficient drug delivery to the target organ or tissue. In this context, technetium-99m (99mTc)-based radiolabeling of nanoparticles allows easy, economical, non-invasive, and whole-body in vivo tracking by the sensitive clinical imaging technique single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Hence, a critical analysis of the radiolabeling strategies of potential drug delivery and therapeutic systems used to monitor results and therapeutic outcomes at the preclinical and clinical levels remains indispensable to provide maximum benefit to the patient. This review discusses up-to-date 99mTc radiolabeling strategies of a variety of important inorganic and organic nanoparticles and their application to preclinical imaging studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoparticles in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications)
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