Multiscale Synchrotron-Based Imaging Analysis for the Transfer of PEGylated Gold Nanoparticles In Vivo.

Xue Li, Hongyang Yu, Bing Wang, Wei Chen, Meilin Zhu, Shanshan Liang, Runxuan Chu, Shuang Zhou, Hanqing Chen, Meng Wang, Lingna Zheng, Weiyue Feng

ACS biomaterials science & engineering 2021 Apr 12

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High spatial resolution imaging analysis is urgently needed to explore the biodistribution, transfer and clearance profiles, and biological impact of nanoparticles in the body, which will be helpful to clarify the efficacy of nanomedicine in clinical applications. Herein, by combination with multiscale synchrotron-based imaging techniques, including X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and micro X-ray phase contrast computed tomography (micro-XPCT), we visually displayed the transfer patterns and site-specific distribution of PEGylated gold nanoparticles (PEG-GNPs) in the suborgans of the liver, spleen, and kidney after an intravenous injection in mice. A combination of XRF and FTIR imaging analysis showed that the PEG bands presented similar distribution patterns with Au in the intraorgans, suggesting the stability of PEGylation on GNPs. We show that the PEG-GNPs presented heterogeneous distribution in the hepatic lobules with a large amount around the portal vein zone and then a gradient decrease in the sinusoidal region and the CV zone; in the spleen, it gradually accumulated in the splenic red pulp over time; and in the kidney, it quickly transported via the bloodstream to the renal pyramids and renal pelvis, and parts of PEG-GNPs finally accumulated in the renal medulla and renal cortex. Multidimensional micro-XPCT images further show that the PEG-GNP transfer in the liver induced hepatic blood vessel dilatation while they transferred in the liver, providing evidence of GNP transport across the blood vessel endothelial barrier.

Citation

Xue Li, Hongyang Yu, Bing Wang, Wei Chen, Meilin Zhu, Shanshan Liang, Runxuan Chu, Shuang Zhou, Hanqing Chen, Meng Wang, Lingna Zheng, Weiyue Feng. Multiscale Synchrotron-Based Imaging Analysis for the Transfer of PEGylated Gold Nanoparticles In Vivo. ACS biomaterials science & engineering. 2021 Apr 12;7(4):1462-1474