Background Macrophage burden is a major factor in the risk of atherosclerotic plaque rupture, and its evaluation remains challenging with molecular noninvasive imaging approaches. Photon-counting CT (PCCT) with k-edge imaging aims to allow for the specific detection of macrophages using gold nanoparticles. Purpose To perform k-edge imaging in combination with gold nanoparticles to detect and quantify the macrophage burden within the atherosclerotic aortas of rabbits. Materials and Methods Atherosclerotic and control New Zealand white rabbits were imaged before and at several time points up to 2 days after intravenous injection of gold nanoparticles (3.5 mL/kg, 65 mg gold per milliliter). Aortic CT angiography was performed at the end of the follow-up using an intravenous injection of an iodinated contrast material. Gold k-edge and conventional CT images were reconstructed for qualitative and quantitative assessment of the macrophage burden. PCCT imaging results were compared with findings at histologic examination, quantitative histomorphometry, transmission electron microscopy, and quantitative inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Pearson correlations between the macrophage area measured in immunostained sections and the concentration of gold and attenuation measured in the corresponding PCCT sections were calculated. Results Seven rabbits with atherosclerosis and four control rabbits without atherosclerosis were analyzed. In atherosclerotic rabbits, calcifications were observed along the aortic wall before injection. At 2 days after injection of gold nanoparticles, only gold k-edge images allowed for the distinction of plaque enhancement within calcifications and for lumen enhancement during angiography. A good correlation was observed between the gold concentration measured within the wall and the macrophage area in 35 plaques (five per rabbit) ( = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.67, 0.91; < .001), which was higher than that observed on conventional CT images ( = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.65; = .01). Transmission electron microscopy and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry analyses confirmed the gold k-edge imaging findings. Conclusion Photon-counting CT with gold nanoparticles allowed for the noninvasive evaluation of both molecular and anatomic information in vivo in rabbits with atherosclerotic plaques. Published under a CC BY 4.0 license. See also the editorial by Leiner in this issue.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2021203968 | DOI Listing |
Adv Biomed Res
November 2024
Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam, Iran.
The growth of nanoscale sciences enables us to define and design new methods and materials for a better life. Health and disease prevention are the main issues in the human lifespan. Some nanoparticles (NPs) have antimicrobial properties that make them useful in many applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharm Nanotechnol
December 2024
Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah United Arab Emirates.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible brain disorder that led to memory loss and disrupts daily life. Earlier strategies to treat AD such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI) drugs are not showing effectiveness due to the inability to cross the blood-brain barrier. Moreover, traditional AChEI provides limited efficacy in terms of bioavailability and solubility for treating AD treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Asian J
December 2024
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, 247667, Roorkee, INDIA.
Nanozymes, constituting of inorganic nanomaterials, are the sustainable and cost-effective alternatives of the naturally abundant enzymes. For more than a decade, nanozymes have shown astonishingly enhanced enzymatic activity as compared to its naturally occurring counterpart and emerged as a potential platform in biomedical science. The current study reports a novel flower shaped gold-iron oxide nanocomposite prepared via a facile and green solution phase redox mediated synthesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Omega
December 2024
Department of Medical and Robotic Engineering Design, Faculty of Advanced Engineering, Tokyo University of Science, 6-3-1 Niijuku, Katsushika, Tokyo 125-8585, Japan.
With the development of nanotechnology, there is growing interest in using nanoparticles (NPs) for biomedical applications, such as diagnostics, drug delivery, imaging, and nanomedicine. The protein's structural stability plays a pivotal role in its functionality, and any alteration in this structure can have significant implications, including disease progression. Herein, we performed a combined experimental and computational study of the effect of gold NPs with a diameter of 5 nm (5 nm Au-NPs) on the structural stability of bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein in the absence and presence of NaCl salt.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Omega
December 2024
Laboratoire de Recherche: Caractérisations, Applications et Modélisation de Matériaux, Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Tunis 2092, Tunisia.
This study optimizes immunofluorescence techniques using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to improve visualization of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in gill tissue. Two types of AuNP dispersions, stabilized in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and citrate buffer (CB), were evaluated for their imaging performance. AuNPs suspended in PBS provided significantly better optical contrast due to uniform distribution and effective tissue attachment, whereas citrate-suspended AuNPs exhibited aggregation, resulting in reduced contrast.
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