In Vivo Positive Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Brain Cancer (U87MG) Using Folic Acid-Conjugated Polyacrylic Acid-Coated Ultrasmall Manganese Oxide Nanoparticles
Shanti Marasini, Huan Yue, Son Long Ho, Ji Ae Park, Soyeon Kim, Ji-ung Yang, Hyunsil Cha, Shuwen Liu, Tirusew Tegafaw, Mohammad Yaseen Ahmad, Abdullah Khamis Ali Al Saidi, Dejun Zhao, Ying Liu, Kwon Seok Chae, Yongmin Chang, Gang Ho Lee
Abstract
Ultrasmall nanoparticles are potential candidates for application as high-performance imaging agents. Herein, we present the synthesis and characterization of folic acid (FA)-conjugated polyacrylic acid (PAA)-coated MnO nanoparticles with an average particle diameter of 2.7 nm. FA conferred cancer-targeting ability, while PAA conferred good colloidal stability and low cellular cytotoxicity on the FA-PAA-coated MnO nanoparticles. Further, the nanoparticles exhibited a high relaxivity (r1) value of 9.3 s−1mM−1 (r2/r1 = 2.2). Their application potential as cancer-targeting T1 magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents was confirmed by their enhanced T1 contrast enhancements at the brain cancer (U87MG) site upon intravenous administration to mice tails.