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Chemokine Receptor 2 Targeted Gold Nanocluster Imaging Triple Negative Breast Cancer with Positron Emission Tomography
Author(s) -
Zhao Yongfeng,
You Meng,
Detering Lisa,
Sultan Deborah,
Luehmann Hannah,
Liu Yongjian
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
particle and particle systems characterization
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.877
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1521-4117
pISSN - 0934-0866
DOI - 10.1002/ppsc.202000287
Subject(s) - triple negative breast cancer , biomarker , breast cancer , positron emission tomography , cancer research , ccr2 , chemokine receptor , medicine , metastasis , targeted therapy , immunostaining , cancer , pathology , immunohistochemistry , chemistry , chemokine , nuclear medicine , receptor , biochemistry
Due to the lack of effective biomarker and specific diagnosis, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients frequently suffer early‐onset relapse and metastasis after conventional therapy, leading to overall poor survival. It is crucial to develop targeted approaches for accurate TNBC detection and drug delivery to improve patient survival. Herein, the potential of chemokine (C‐C motif) receptor 2 (CCR2) as a biomarker for TNBC is characterized. Through a 64 Cu radiolabeled CCR2 targeting peptide radiotracer, the presence of CCR2 in TNBC is specifically imaged using positron emission tomography in a mouse 4T1 TNBC model, which is further confirmed by western blot, immunostaining, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis. Through a well‐defined and straightforward radioactive synthesis, an ultrasmall gold nanocluster intrinsically radiolabeled with 64 Cu is prepared for CCR2 targeted imaging in 4T1 tumor‐bearing mice. Time‐course study and quantitative uptake analysis reveal significantly improved tumor targeting efficiency and tumor‐to‐background contrast ratio compared to peptide tracer alone. Taken together, it is believed CCR2 is a useful biomarker for TNBC, and the targeted nanocluster can serve as a useful platform for sensitive and accurate diagnosis of TNBC.