Highly water-dispersible surface-modified Gd(2)O(3) nanoparticles for potential dual-modal bioimaging.

Water-dispersible and luminescent gadolinium oxide (GO) nanoparticles (NPs) were designed and synthesized for potential dual-modal biological imaging. They were obtained by capping gadolinium oxide nanoparticles with a fluorescent glycol-based conjugated carboxylate (HL). The obtained nanoparticles (GO-L) show long-term colloidal stability and intense blue fluorescence. In addition, L can sensitize the luminescence of europium(III) through the so-called antenna effect. Thus, to extend the spectral ranges of emission, europium was introduced into L-modified gadolinium oxide nanoparticles. The obtained EuIII-doped particles (Eu:GO-L) can provide visible red emission, which is more intensive than that without L capping. The average diameter of the monodisperse modified oxide cores is about 4 nm. The average hydrodynamic diameter of the L-modified nanoparticles was estimated to be about 13 nm. The nanoparticles show effective longitudinal water proton relaxivity. The relaxivity values obtained for GO-L and Eu:GO-L were r1=6.4 and 6.3 s−1 mM−1 with r2/r1 ratios close to unity at 1.4 T. Longitudinal proton relaxivities of these nanoparticles are higher than those of positive contrast agents based on gadolinium complexes such as Gd-DOTA, which are commonly used for clinical magnetic resonance imaging. Moreover, these particles are suitable for cellular imaging and show good biocompatibility.

Effects of gadolinium oxide nanoparticles on the oxidative burst from human neutrophil granulocytes.

We have previously shown that gadolinium oxide (Gd(2)O(3)) nanoparticles are promising candidates to be used as contrast agents in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging applications. In this study, these nanoparticles were investigated in a cellular system, as possible probes for visualization and targeting intended for bioimaging applications. We evaluated the impact of the presence of Gd(2)O(3) nanoparticles on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from human neutrophils, by means of luminol-dependent chemiluminescence. Three sets of Gd(2)O(3) nanoparticles were studied, i.e. as synthesized, dialyzed and both PEG-functionalized and dialyzed Gd(2)O(3) nanoparticles. In addition, neutrophil morphology was evaluated by fluorescent staining of the actin cytoskeleton and fluorescence microscopy. We show that surface modification of these nanoparticles with polyethylene glycol (PEG) is essential in order to increase their biocompatibility. We observed that the as synthesized nanoparticles markedly decreased the ROS production from neutrophils challenged with prey (opsonized yeast particles) compared to controls without nanoparticles. After functionalization and dialysis, more moderate inhibitory effects were observed at a corresponding concentration of gadolinium. At lower gadolinium concentration the response was similar to that of the control cells. We suggest that the diethylene glycol (DEG) present in the as synthesized nanoparticle preparation is responsible for the inhibitory effects on the neutrophil oxidative burst. Indeed, in the present study we also show that even a low concentration of DEG, 0.3%, severely inhibits neutrophil function. In summary, the low cellular response upon PEG-functionalized Gd(2)O(3) nanoparticle exposure indicates that these nanoparticles are promising candidates for MR-imaging purposes.

Nanoscale Ln(III)-carboxylate coordination polymers (Ln = Gd, Eu, Yb): temperature-controlled guest encapsulation and light harvesting.

We report the self-assembly of stable nanoscale coordination polymers (NCPs), which exhibit temperature-controlled guest encapsulation and release, as well as an efficient light-harvesting property. NCPs are obtained by coordination-directed organization of pi-conjugated dicarboxylate (L1) and lanthanide metal ions Gd(III), Eu(III), and Yb(III) in a DMF system. Guest molecules trans-4-styryl-1-methylpyridiniumiodide (D1) and methylene blue (D2) can be encapsulated into NCPs, and the loading amounts can be controlled by changing reaction temperatures. Small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXRD) results reveal that the self-assembled discus-like NCPs exhibit long-range ordered structures, which remain unchanged after guest encapsulations. Experimental results reveal that the negatively charged local environment around the metal connector is the driving force for the encapsulation of cationic guests. The D1 molecules encapsulated in NCPs at 140 degrees C can be released gradually at room temperature in DMF. Guest-loaded NCPs exhibit efficient light harvesting with energy transfer from the framework to the guest D1 molecule, which is studied by photoluminescence and fluorescence lifetime decays. This coordination-directed encapsulation approach is general and should be extended to the fabrication of a wide range of multifunctional nanomaterials.

Synthesis and characterization of PEGylated Gd2O3 nanoparticles for MRI contrast enhancement.

Recently, much attention has been given to the development of biofunctionalized nanoparticles with magnetic properties for novel biomedical imaging. Guided, smart, targeting nanoparticulate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents inducing high MRI signal will be valuable tools for future tissue specific imaging and investigation of molecular and cellular events. In this study, we report a new design of functionalized ultrasmall rare earth based nanoparticles to be used as a positive contrast agent in MRI. The relaxivity is compared to commercially available Gd based chelates. The synthesis, PEGylation, and dialysis of small (3-5 nm) gadolinium oxide (DEG-Gd(2)O(3)) nanoparticles are presented. The chemical and physical properties of the nanomaterial were investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. Neutrophil activation after exposure to this nanomaterial was studied by means of fluorescence microscopy. The proton relaxation times as a function of dialysis time and functionalization were measured at 1.5 T. A capping procedure introducing stabilizing properties was designed and verified, and the dialysis effects were evaluated. A higher proton relaxivity was obtained for as-synthesized diethylene glycol (DEG)-Gd(2)O(3) nanoparticles compared to commercial Gd-DTPA. A slight decrease of the relaxivity for as-synthesized DEG-Gd(2)O(3) nanoparticles as a function of dialysis time was observed. The results for functionalized nanoparticles showed a considerable relaxivity increase for particles dialyzed extensively with r(1) and r(2) values approximately 4 times the corresponding values for Gd-DTPA. The microscopy study showed that PEGylated nanoparticles do not activate neutrophils in contrast to uncapped Gd(2)O(3). Finally, the nanoparticles are equipped with Rhodamine to show that our PEGylated nanoparticles are available for further coupling chemistry, and thus prepared for targeting purposes. The long term goal is to design a powerful, directed contrast agent for MRI examinations with specific targeting possibilities and with properties inducing local contrast, that is, an extremely high MR signal at the cellular and molecular level.

Gd2O3 nanoparticles in hematopoietic cells for MRI contrast enhancement.

As the utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) broadens, the importance of having specific and efficient contrast agents increases and in recent time there has been a huge development in the fields of molecular imaging and intracellular markers. Previous studies have shown that gadolinium oxide (Gd(2)O(3)) nanoparticles generate higher relaxivity than currently available Gd chelates: In addition, the Gd(2)O(3) nanoparticles have promising properties for MRI cell tracking. The aim of the present work was to study cell labeling with Gd(2)O(3) nanoparticles in hematopoietic cells and to improve techniques for monitoring hematopoietic stem cell migration by MRI. Particle uptake was studied in two cell lines: the hematopoietic progenitor cell line Ba/F3 and the monocytic cell line THP-1. Cells were incubated with Gd(2)O(3) nanoparticles and it was investigated whether the transfection agent protamine sulfate increased the particle uptake. Treated cells were examined by electron microscopy and MRI, and analyzed for particle content by inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry. Results showed that particles were intracellular, however, sparsely in Ba/F3. The relaxation times were shortened with increasing particle concentration. Relaxivities, r(1) and r(2) at 1.5 T and 21°C, for Gd(2)O(3) nanoparticles in different cell samples were 3.6-5.3 s(-1) mM(-1) and 9.6-17.2 s(-1) mM(-1), respectively. Protamine sulfate treatment increased the uptake in both Ba/F3 cells and THP-1 cells. However, the increased uptake did not increase the relaxation rate for THP-1 as for Ba/F3, probably due to aggregation and/or saturation effects. Viability of treated cells was not significantly decreased and thus, it was concluded that the use of Gd(2)O(3) nanoparticles is suitable for this type of cell labeling by means of detecting and monitoring hematopoietic cells. In conclusion, Gd(2)O(3) nanoparticles are a promising material to achieve positive intracellular MRI contrast; however, further particle development needs to be performed.

Biotinylation of ZnO nanoparticles and thin films: a two-step surface functionalization study.

This study reports ZnO nanoparticles and thin film surface modification using a two-step functionalization strategy. A small silane molecule was used to build up a stabilizing layer and for conjugation of biotin (vitamin B7), as a specific tag. Biotin was chosen because it is a well-studied bioactive molecule with high affinity for avidin. ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by electrochemical deposition under oxidizing condition, and ZnO films were prepared by plasma-enhanced metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Both ZnO nanoparticles and ZnO thin films were surface modified by forming a (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTS) layer followed by attachment of a biotin derivate. Iodoacetyl-PEG2-biotin molecule was coupled to the thiol unit in MPTS through a substitution reaction. Powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoemission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy were used to investigate the as-synthesized and functionalized ZnO materials. The measurements showed highly crystalline materials in both cases with a ZnO nanoparticle diameter of about 5 nm and a grain size of about 45 nm for the as-grown ZnO thin films. The surface modification process resulted in coupling of silanes and biotin to both the ZnO nanoparticles and ZnO thin films. The two-step functionalization strategy has a high potential for specific targeting in bioimaging probes and for recognition studies in biosensing applications.

Reappraisal of the intravenous glucose tolerance index for a simple assessment of insulin sensitivity in mice.

Mice are increasingly used in studies where measuring insulin sensitivity (IS) is a common procedure. The glucose clamp is labor intensive, cannot be used in large numbers of animals, cannot be repeated in the same mouse, and has been questioned as a valid tool for IS in mice; thus, the minimal model with 50-min intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) data was adapted for studies in mice. However, specific software and particular ability was needed. The aim of this study was to establish a simple procedure for evaluating IS during IVGTT in mice (CS(I)). IVGTTs (n = 520) were performed in NMRI and C57BL/6J mice (20-25g). After glucose injection (1 g/kg), seven samples were collected for 50 min for glucose and insulin measurements, analyzed with a minimal model that provided the validated reference IS (S(I)). By using the regression CS(I) = alpha(1) + alpha(2) x K(G)/AUC(D), where K(G) is intravenous glucose tolerance index and AUC(d) is the dynamic area under the curve, IS was calculated in 134 control animals randomly selected (regression CS(I) vs. S(I): r = 0.66, P < 0.0001) and yielded alpha(1) = 1.93 and alpha(2) = 0.24. K(G) is the slope of log (glucose(5-20)) and AUC(D) is the mean dynamic area under insulin curve in the IVGTT. By keeping fixed alpha(1) and alpha(2), CS(I) was validated in 143 control mice (4.7 +/- 0.2 min*microU(-1)*ml(-1), virtually identical to S(I): 4.7 +/- 0.3, r = 0.89, P < 0.0001); and in 123 mice in different conditions: transgenic, addition of neuropeptides, incretins, and insulin (CS(I): 6.0 +/- 0.4 vs. S(I): 6.1 +/- 0.4, r = 0.94, P < 0.0001). In the other 120 animals, CS(I) revealed its ability to segregate different categories, as does S(I). This easily usable formula for calculating CS(I) overcomes many experimental obstacles and may be a simple alternative to more complex procedures when large numbers of mice or repeated experiments in the same animals are required.

Positive MRI contrast enhancement in THP-1 cells with Gd2O3 nanoparticles.

There is a demand for more efficient and tissue-specific MRI contrast agents and recent developments involve the design of substances useful as molecular markers and magnetic tracers. In this study, nanoparticles of gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) have been investigated for cell labeling and capacity to generate a positive contrast. THP-1, a monocytic cell line that is phagocytic, was used and results were compared with relaxivity of particles in cell culture medium (RPMI 1640). The results showed that Gd2O3-labeled cells have shorter T1 and T2 relaxation times compared with untreated cells. A prominent difference in signal intensity was observed, indicating that Gd2O3 nanoparticles can be used as a positive contrast agent for cell labeling. The r1 for cell samples was 4.1 and 3.6 s(-1) mm(-1) for cell culture medium. The r2 was 17.4 and 12.9 s(-1) mm(-1), respectively. For r1, there was no significant difference in relaxivity between particles in cells compared to particles in cell culture medium, (p(r1) = 0.36), but r2 was significantly different for the two different series (p(r2) = 0.02). Viability results indicate that THP-1 cells endure treatment with Gd2O3 nanoparticles for an extended period of time and it is therefore concluded that results in this study are based on viable cells.