19F MRI in orthotopic cancer model via intratracheal administration of ανß3-targeted perfluorocarbon nanoparticles.

AIM: To demonstrate the feasibility of intratracheal administration in orthotopic lung cancer model with 19F MRI. MATERIALS & METHODS: αvß3-integrin targeting ability of the perfluorocarbon (PFC) nanoparticles was tested. Orthotopic lung cancer model was established in rabbits under computed tomography guidance. αvß3-targeted PFC nanoparticles were administrated intratracheally or intravenously, and 19F MRI was performed before and up to 24 h after administration. RESULTS: The targeted PFC nanoparticles could bind with αvß3-integrin. PFC concentrations in the tumors of intratracheal group after administration were significantly higher than intravenous group. CONCLUSION: Intratracheal administration of PFC nanoparticles was shown to be feasible and efficacious. 19F MRI with αvß3-targeted PFC nanoparticles provided quantitative assessment of nanoparticles distribution and tumor angiogenesis.

Taraxacum officinale protects against lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Taraxacum officinale has been frequently used as a remedy for inflammatory diseases. In the present study, we investigated the in vivo protective effect of Taraxacum officinale on acute lung injury (ALI) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Taraxacum officinale at 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg was orally administered once per day for 5 days consecutively, followed by 500 microg/kg LPS was instilled intranasally. The lung wet/dry weight (W/D) ratio, protein concentration and the number of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were determined. Superoxidase dismutase (SOD) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activities, and histological change in the lungs were examined. The levels of inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the BALF were measured using ELISA. RESULTS: We found that Taraxacum officinale decreased the lung W/D ratio, protein concentration and the number of neutrophils in the BALF at 24 h after LPS challenge. Taraxacum officinale decreased LPS-induced MPO activity and increased SOD activity in the lungs. In addition, histopathological examination indicated that Taraxacum officinale attenuated tissue injury of the lungs in LPS-induced ALI. Furthermore, Taraxacum officinale also inhibited the production of inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6 in the BALF at 6h after LPS challenge in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that Taraxacum officinale protects against LPS-induced ALI in mice.