A cancer-recognizable MRI contrast agents using pH-responsive polymeric micelle.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 24139764.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2013.10.004.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
A cancer-recognizable MRI contrast agents (CR-CAs) has been developed using pH-responsive polymeric micelles. The CR-CAs with pH sensitivity were self-assembled based on well-defined amphiphilic block copolymers, consisting of methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(L-histidine) (PEG-p(L-His)) and methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(L-lactic acid)-diethylenetriaminopentaacetic acid dianhydride-gadolinium chelate (PEG-p(L-LA)-DTPA-Gd). The CR-CAs have a spherical shape with a uniform size of ~40 nm at physiological pH (pH 7.4). However, in acidic tumoral environment (pH 6.5), the CR-CAs were destabilized due to the protonation of the imidazole groups of p(L-His) blocks, causing them to break apart into positively charged water-soluble polymers. As a result, the CR-CAs exhibit highly effective T1 MR contrast enhancement in the tumor region, which enabled the detection of small tumors of ~3 mm(3 )in vivo at 1.5 T within a few minutes.
Medical subject headings
- Contrast Media
- Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Micelles
- Polymers