Bio-Inspired, Melanin-Like Nanoparticles as a Highly Efficient Contrast Agent for <i>T</i><sub>1</sub>-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Kuk‐Youn Ju(Seoul National University), Won Jae Lee(Seoul National University), Geun Ho Im(Seoul National University), Sang‐Hee Lee(Seoul National University), Jung‐Soo Pyo(Seoul National University), Seung Bum Park(Seoul National University), Jung Hee Lee(Seoul National University), Jinkyu Lee(Seoul National University)
Biomacromolecules
August 29, 2013
10.1021/bm4008138
Cited by 161

Abstract

The development of nontoxic and biocompatible imaging agents will create new opportunities for potential applications in clinical MRI diagnosis. Synthetic melanin-like nanoparticles (MelNPs), analogous to natural sepia melanin (a major component of the cuttlefish ink), can be used as contrast agent for MRI. MelNPs complexed with paramagnetic Fe(3+) ions show much higher relaxivity values than existing MRI T1 contrast agents based on gadolinium (Gd) or manganese (Mn); MelNP values at 3T were r1 = 17 and r2 = 18 mM(-1) s(-1) (r2/r1 value of 1.1). With significant enhancement to MRI contrast, this biomimetic approach using MelNPs functionalized with paramagnetic Fe(3+) ions and surface-modified with biocompatible poly(ethylene glycol) units, could provide new insight into how melanin-based bioresponsive and therapeutic imaging probes integrate with their various biological functions.

Related Papers

Gadolinium(III) Chelates as MRI Contrast Agents:  Structure, Dynamics, and Applications
Peter Caravan, Jeffrey J. Ellison, Thomas J. McMurry et al.|Chemical Reviews|1999|4.4k
Paramagnetic metal complexes as water proton relaxation agents for NMR imaging: theory and design
Randall B. Lauffer|Chemical Reviews|1987|2k
Large-Scale Synthesis of Uniform and Extremely Small-Sized Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for High-Resolution <i>T</i><sub>1</sub> Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents
Byung Hyo Kim, Nohyun Lee, Hyoungsu Kim et al.|Journal of the American Chemical Society|2011|942
Bioinspired Polymerization of Dopamine to Generate Melanin-Like Nanoparticles Having an Excellent Free-Radical-Scavenging Property
Kuk‐Youn Ju, Yuwon Lee, Sang-Hee Lee et al.|Biomacromolecules|2011|797
Free Radicals in Biological Materials
Barry Commoner, J. Townsend, G. E. Pake|Nature|1954|732