Facile Synthesis of Holmium-Based Nanoparticles as a CT and MRI Dual-Modal Imaging for Cancer Diagnosis.

Abstract

The rapid development of medical imaging has boosted the abilities of modern medicine. As single modality imaging limits complex cancer diagnostics, dual-modal imaging has come into the spotlight in clinical settings. The rare earth element Holmium (Ho) has intrinsic paramagnetism and great X-ray attenuation due to its high atomic number. These features endow Ho with good potential to be a nanoprobe in combined x-ray computed tomography (CT) and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Herein, we present a facile strategy for preparing HoF3 nanoparticles (HoF3 NPs) with modification by PEG 4000. The functional PEG-HoF3 NPs have good water solubility, low cytotoxicity, and biocompatibility as a dual-modal contrast agent. Currently, there is limited systematic and intensive investigation of Ho-based nanomaterials for dual-modal imaging. Our PEG-HoF3 NPs provide a new direction to realize in vitro and vivo CT/MRI imaging, as well as validation of Ho-based nanomaterials will verify their potential for biomedical applications.

• Authors: Tianqi Zhang, Mo Deng, Lei Zhang, Zerun Liu, Yang Liu, Shuyan Song, Tingting Gong, Qinghai Yuan
• Journal: Frontiers in oncology (Front Oncol) Vol. 11 Pg. 741383 ( 2021) ISSN: 2234-943X [Print] Switzerland
• PMID: 34513716 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2021 Zhang, Deng, Zhang, Liu, Liu, Song, Gong and Yuan.