Open AccessNanoparticle contrast agents for computed tomography: a focus on micelles
Author(s) -
Cormode David P.,
Naha Pratap C.,
Fayad Zahi A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
contrast media & molecular imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.714
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1555-4317
pISSN - 1555-4309
DOI - 10.1002/cmmi.1551
Subject(s) - contrast (vision) , micelle , nanoparticle , population , iodinated contrast , computed tomography , medicine , radiology , computer science , chemistry , nanotechnology , materials science , artificial intelligence , aqueous solution , environmental health
Computed tomography (CT) is an X‐ray‐based whole‐body imaging technique that is widely used in medicine. Clinically approved contrast agents for CT are iodinated small molecules or barium suspensions. Over the past seven years there has been a great increase in the development of nanoparticles as CT contrast agents. Nanoparticles have several advantages over small molecule CT contrast agents, such as long blood‐pool residence times and the potential for cell tracking and targeted imaging applications. Furthermore, there is a need for novel CT contrast agents, owing to the growing population of renally impaired patients and patients hypersensitive to iodinated contrast. Micelles and lipoproteins, a micelle‐related class of nanoparticle, have notably been adapted as CT contrast agents. In this review we discuss the principles of CT image formation and the generation of CT contrast. We discuss the progress in developing nontargeted, targeted and cell tracking nanoparticle CT contrast agents. We feature agents based on micelles and used in conjunction with spectral CT. The large contrast agent doses needed will necessitate careful toxicology studies prior to clinical translation. However, the field has seen tremendous advances in the past decade and we expect many more advances to come in the next decade. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.