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One‐Step, Room‐Temperature Synthesis of Glutathione‐Capped Iron‐Oxide Nanoparticles and their Application in In Vivo T 1 ‐Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Author(s) -
Liu ChienLiang,
Peng YungKang,
Chou ShangWei,
Tseng WeiHsuan,
Tseng YuJui,
Chen HsiehChih,
Hsiao JongKai,
Chou PiTai
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201303868
Subject(s) - glutathione , mri contrast agent , materials science , magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance , in vivo , hydroxymethyl , nanoparticle , chemistry , nanotechnology , stereochemistry , medicine , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , radiology , enzyme
The room‐temperature, aqueous‐phase synthesis of iron‐oxide nanoparticles (IO NPs) with glutathione (GSH) is reported. The simple, one‐step reduction involves GSH as a capping agent and tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium chloride (THPC) as the reducing agent; GSH is an anti‐oxidant that is abundant in the human body while THPC is commonly used in the synthesis of noble‐metal clusters. Due to their low magnetization and good water‐dispersibility, the resulting GSH‐IO NPs, which are 3.72 ± 0.12 nm in diameter, exhibit a low r 2 relaxivity (8.28 m m −1 s −1 ) and r 2 / r 1 ratio (2.28)—both of which are critical for T 1 contrast agents. This, together with the excellent biocompatibility, makes these NPs an ideal candidate to be a T 1 contrast agent. Its capability in cellular imaging is illustrated by the high signal intensity in the T 1 ‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of treated HeLa cells. Surprisingly, the GSH‐IO NPs escape ingestion by the hepatic reticuloendothelial system, enabling strong vascular enhancement at the internal carotid artery and superior sagittal sinus, where detection of the thrombus is critical for diagnosing a stroke. Moreover, serial T 1 ‐ and T 2 ‐weighted time‐dependent MR images are resolved for a rat's kidneys, unveiling detailed cortical‐medullary anatomy and renal physiological functions. The newly developed GSH‐IO NPs thus open a new dimension in efforts towards high‐performance, long‐circulating MRI contrast agents that have biotargeting potential.