| 초록 |
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are widely used as T2-contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Herein we develop diverse antibiofouling, amphiphilic polymer-coated SPIONs via a one-step nanoemulsion method. This methodology yielded ultrasmall polymer-coated SPIONs, of average diameter less than 30 nm, that were stable under physiological conditions. In addition, the ability of each amphiphilic polymer-coated SPION to block non-specific protein adsorption was assessed by incubating them in a solution of BSA, a model plasma protein, and was compared with that of conventional dextran-coated SPIONs (Feridex® I.V.). In vivo MR imaging with Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) tumor-bearing mice resulted in an approximately 30% T2 signal drop in tumor tissues, indicating that the SPIONs reached such tissues via passive targeting. In summary, the ultrasmall, stable, amphiphilic polymer-coated SPIONs can be used as MRI contrast agents for cancer imaging. |
