Nanoengineered Neutrophil as <sup>19</sup>F‐MRI Tracer for Alert Diagnosis and Severity Assessment of Acute Lung Injury
Sha Li, Lei Zhang, Qiuyi Xu, Meiju Sui, Long Xiao, Daiqin Chen, Zhong‐Xing Jiang, Xin Zhou, Shizhen Chen
Abstract
Abstract Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe complication in clinical settings. Alert diagnosis and severity assessment of ALI is pivotal to ensure curative treatment and increase survival rates. However, the development of a precise ALI diagnostic strategy remains a pending task. Here, leveraging neutrophil's inflammation‐homing and physiological barrier‐navigating capability, a facile strategy is proposed for achieving targeted 19 F‐MRI detection of ALI based on the nanoengineered neutrophil internalized with perfluorocarbon nanoemulsion (Neu@PFC). The remodeling process poses a negligible impact on the neutrophil's inherent activation and transmigration functions. The migratory behavior of Neu@PFC toward pneumonia is confirmed in vivo using an LPS‐induced ALI murine model. Direct intratracheal ( i.t .) administration contributes to a vast deposition of Neu@PFC within the lung, allowing for real‐time 19 F‐MRI visualization and the potential to predict progressive pneumonia. Furthermore, intravenous ( i.v .) administration of Neu@PFC enables quantitative assessment of the extent of ALI due to the chemokine‐guided neutrophil migration. This study not only provides a pathway to diagnose ALI, but also sheds light on the neutrophil recruitment and activation cues in different tissues and inflammatory conditions, which is a prerequisite for developing potential therapeutic approaches.