α<sub>v</sub>β<sub>3</sub>-Specific Gold Nanoparticles for Fluorescence Imaging of Tumor Angiogenesis
Marc Pretze,
Valeska von Kiedrowski,
Roswitha Runge,
Robert Freudenberg,
René Hübner,
Güllü Davarci,
Ralf Schirrmacher,
Carmen Wängler,
Björn Wängler
Affiliations
Marc Pretze
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
Valeska von Kiedrowski
Molecular Imaging and Radiochemistry, Department of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Roswitha Runge
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
Robert Freudenberg
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
René Hübner
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, 01328 Dresden, Germany
Güllü Davarci
Molecular Imaging and Radiochemistry, Department of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Ralf Schirrmacher
Department of Oncology, Division of Oncological Imaging, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Carmen Wängler
Biomedical Chemistry, Department of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Björn Wängler
Molecular Imaging and Radiochemistry, Department of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
This paper reports on the development of tumor-specific gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as theranostic tools intended for target accumulation and the detection of tumor angiogenesis via optical imaging (OI) before therapy is performed, being initiated via an external X-ray irradiation source. The AuNPs were decorated with a near-infrared dye, and RGD peptides as the tumor targeting vector for αvβ3-integrin, which is overexpressed in tissue with high tumor angiogenesis. The AuNPs were evaluated in an optical imaging setting in vitro and in vivo exhibiting favorable diagnostic properties with regards to tumor cell accumulation, biodistribution, and clearance. Furthermore, the therapeutic properties of the AuNPs were evaluated in vitro on pUC19 DNA and on A431 cells concerning acute and long-term toxicity, indicating that these AuNPs could be useful as radiosensitizers in therapeutic concepts in the future.
