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Tumor-Targeting T 1 MRI Contrast Agents with Antioxidant Effects: Gadolinium Oxide Nanoparticles Grafted with Polydopamine- and Polyserotonin-Conjugated Polyacrylic Acids

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Polydopamine (pdop) and polyserotonin (pser) can target tumor cells through their conjugation with dopamine (dop)- and serotonin (ser)-receptors overexpressed on tumor cells. In this study, pdop- or pser-conjugated poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-grafted gadolinium oxide nanoparticles (denoted as pdop-PAA-Gd 2 O 3 and pser-PAA-Gd 2 O 3 NPs) were synthesized for the first time via polymerization of dop and ser during their conjugation with the PAA component of PAA-Gd 2 O 3 NPs; then, the obtained pdop-PAA-Gd 2 O 3 and pser-PAA-Gd 2 O 3 NPs were applied as tumor-targeting positive (T 1 ) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. In addition, their antioxidant effects were investigated by evaluating their ability to suppress the rhodamine B (Rh B) oxidation reaction induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) in aqueous solution. The core Gd 2 O 3 NPs had average particle diameters of ∼2 nm. The pdop-PAA-Gd 2 O 3 and pser-PAA-Gd 2 O 3 NPs showed high longitudinal water proton spin relaxivity ( r 1 ) values (28.6–35.4 s –1 mM –1; r 2 / r 1 ratios <2.5), which were 8–10 times higher than those of commercial T 1 MRI contrast agents based on Gd-chelates. In addition, they exhibited higher T 1 contrast enhancements at tumor sites compared with PAA-Gd 2 O 3 NPs used as control, along with clear antioxidant effects to scavenge ROS in solution reactions. The results of this study indicate that pdop-PAA-Gd 2 O 3 and pser-PAA-Gd 2 O 3 NPs can serve as tumor-targeting T 1 MRI contrast agents with antioxidant effects.

Source: ACS Omega

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.5c07541