Abstract
Aim: To develop and evaluate two tumor-specific nanoprobes by functionalization of a polyethylene glycol-immobilized nanoparticle with arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) or chlorotoxin ligand that targets αvβ3 integrin and matrix metalloproteinase-2 receptors, respectively. Materials & methods: The nanoprobes were made of iron oxide cores, biocompatible polymer coating, and surface-conjugated RGD or chlorotoxin peptide. The tumor-targeting specificity of the nanoprobes was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Results & discussion: Both nanoprobes were highly dispersive and exhibited excellent long-term stability in cell culture media. The RGD-conjugated nanoprobe displayed a strong initial accumulation near neovasculatures in tumors followed by quick clearance. Conversely, the chlorotoxin-enabled nanoprobe exhibited sustained accumulation throughout the tumor. Conclusion: These findings revealed the influence of the targeting ligands on the intratumoral distribution of the ligand-enabled nanoprobes. With flexible surface chemistry, our nanoparticle platform can be used in a modular fashion to conjugate biomolecules for intended applications.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1357-1369 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Nanomedicine |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2010 |
Keywords
- RGD peptide
- bioconjugation
- cancer
- chlorotoxin
- glioma
- magnetic resonance imaging
- nanoparticle
- nanotechnology
- stability
- targeting
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Bioengineering
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science(all)