Magnetic resonance imaging contrast-enhancement with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles amplifies macrophage foam cell apoptosis in human and murine atherosclerosis.

Aims: (Ultra) Small superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, (U)SPIO, are widely used as magnetic resonance imaging contrast media and assumed to be safe for clinical applications in cardiovascular disease. As safety tests largely relied on normolipidaemic models, not fully representative of the clinical setting, we investigated the impact of (U)SPIOs on disease-relevant endpoints in hyperlipidaemic models of atherosclerosis.

Methods And Results: RAW264.

Scavenger receptor-AI-targeted iron oxide nanoparticles for in vivo MRI detection of atherosclerotic lesions.

Objective: In search of molecular imaging modalities for specific detection of inflammatory atherosclerotic plaques, we explored the potential of targeting scavenger receptor-AI (SR-AI), which is highly expressed by lesional macrophages and linked to effective internalization machinery.

Approach And Results: Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide particles were conjugated to a peptidic SR-AI ligand (0.371 mol Fe/L and 0.

Design and validation of a specific scavenger receptor class AI binding peptide for targeting the inflammatory atherosclerotic plaque.

Objective: Scavenger receptor A (SR-A) is abundantly expressed by macrophage and plays a critical role in foam cell formation and atherogenesis. In search of selective SR-AI antagonists, we have used affinity selection of a phage displayed peptide library on the synthetic extracellular domain of SR-AI.

Methods And Results: Phage selection led to an almost 1,000-fold enrichment of SR-AI binding phage, which bound avidly to human THP-1 cells.