Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop and preliminarily evaluate phospholipid-shelled nanodroplets (NDs) encapsulating perfluoropentane (PFP) and radioactive 64Cu as a hybrid positron emission tomography (PET)-ultrasound (US) probe. PFP NDs were fabricated by mixing liquid-phase PFP with a phospholipid solution. The 64Cu was encapsulated into the NDs in a size-controlled manner by exploiting the hydrophobicity of 64Cu-diacetyl-bis(N4-methylthiosemicarbazone) (64Cu-ATSM) using a vial mixer and an extruder. The fabricated 64Cu-loaded PFP NDs (64Cu-PFP NDs) were evaluated using in vitro/in vivo PET-computed tomography (PET-CT), US imaging and transmission electron microscopy. In the in vitro PET images, the 64Cu-PFP NDs were observed as a hot spot in the lower section of the test tube. In the acquired US images, the mean region of interest brightness values of 64Cu-PFP NDs were revealed by their strong echo image. In a tumor-bearing mouse animal model, tumor uptake of the 64Cu-PFP NDs was low, that is, approximately 65%, compared with that of only free 64Cu, as determined by PET-delayed imaging analysis. The dual-function concept of the NDs is expected to contribute to the prognosis and effectiveness of therapy by fusing the science and technology of nuclear medicine and US.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2775-2784 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology |
Volume | 46 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2020 Oct |
Keywords
- Cu-ATSM
- Nanodroplets
- PET
- Perfluoropentane
- Phospholipid
- Ultrasound
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiological and Ultrasound Technology
- Biophysics
- Acoustics and Ultrasonics