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Heart attack and stroke are the first and second leading causes of death in developed countries, respectively. Since the disease often leads to sudden death, and there are few special prognostic symptoms, early diagnosis is very important. For this reason, imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are widely used to identify narrowing or blockage of blood vessels.

In MRI, contrast agents increase the visibility of structures, such as the smaller blood vessels in the body. Just as satellites or global positioning systems (GPS) provide traffic jam information, MRI contrast agents can provide accurate information about blood vessel conditions, such as blood vessel blockage and stenosis. Commonly used products are gadolinium-based contrast agents. Free gadolinium ions are highly toxic and must be administered in chelated form.

However, even so, for patients with poor renal function, renal systemic fibrosis still has some health risks. There have been some attempts to use paramagnetic iron-based nanoparticles as contrast agents, but their renal clearance must be improved to prevent undesirable accumulation in the liver and other organs.

A collaborative research team led by Professor Cheon Jinwoo, Director of the Center for Nanomedicine (CNM) of the Institute of Basic Science (IBS), Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea, and Professor CHOI Byoung Wook of the Yonsei University School of Medicine, has developed a high-resolution high-resolution imaging system for 3D vascular mapping. Performance MRI contrast agent. Researchers have developed a nanoparticle-based MRI contrast agent called SAIO (Supramolecular Amorphous Iron Oxide). The particle size is 5 nanometers, which is about 1,500 times smaller than the diameter of the capillaries. This allows it to circulate in the blood vessels in the body.

SAIO is a special kind of nanoparticle, composed of a polysaccharide core that is mainly cross-linked by dextran and other molecules. Then, the magnetic core is coated with an iron oxide surface to make it paramagnetic at room temperature. The blending properties of SAIO give them excellent biocompatibility and imaging performance. The researchers compared SAIO with Dotarem (a gadolinium-based reagent) and iron oxide nanoparticles in terms of performance, retention, and renal clearance curves.

SAIO is one of the highest resolution imaging agents, and its accuracy is 10 times that of images generated with current contrast agents. It realizes 3D brain blood vessel mapping, and in animal experiments, brain capillaries as thin as hair (100 microns) can be clearly identified. In addition, in order to obtain excellent resolution, the enhancement duration is much longer (> 10 minutes) compared to Dotarem (< 2 minutes), which gives radiologists plenty of time to perform the imaging procedure. These outstanding characteristics of SAIO enable researchers to observe the heart blood vessels, which are almost invisible with current MRI contrast agents.

In addition to having high resolution, the excretion of contrast media through urine is particularly important to avoid its accumulation in the body, which can cause various side effects. SAIO has excellent renal clearance and does not accumulate in the liver or spleen. It was also found that SAIO was stable for up to a year, with no aggregation and no iron leaching.

Director Cheon said: "SAIO is a next-generation contrast agent that meets both high resolution and safety."

SAIO is expected to play an important role in improving the accuracy of diagnosis of cerebral cardiovascular diseases (such as stroke, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris and dementia). "

Professor Choi Byoung Wook, Yonsei University School of Medicine

Shin, TH. etc. (2021) High-resolution T1 MRI of dextran nanoparticles through kidneys with iron oxide shells. Natural Biomedical Engineering. doi.org/10.1038/s41551-021-00687-z.

Tags: angina, blood, blood vessels, brain, cardiology, dementia, fibrosis, gadolinium, hair, healthcare, heart, heart attack, imaging, imaging technology, kidney, liver, magnetic resonance imaging, medicine, myocardial infarction , Nanomedicine, Nanoparticles, Nanoparticles, Renal Systemic Fibrosis, Nephrology, Research, Spleen, Stenosis, Stroke, Blood Vessel

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