Essence of affinity and specificity of peanut agglutinin-immobilized fluorescent nanospheres with surface poly(N-vinylacetamide) chains for colorectal cancer

Tumor recognition of peanut agglutinin-immobilized fluorescent nanospheres in biopsied human tissues

We are investigating an imaging agent for early detection of colorectal cancer. The agent, named the nanobeacon, is coumarin 6-encapsulated polystyrene nanospheres whose surfaces are covered with poly(N-vinylacetamide) and peanut agglutinin that reduces non-specific interactions with the normal mucosa and exhibits high affinity for terminal sugars of the Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen, which is expressed cancer-specifically on the mucosa, respectively. We expect that cancer can be diagnosed by detecting illumination of intracolonically administered nanobeacon on the mucosal surface. In the present study, biopsied human tissues were used to evaluate the potential use of the nanobeacon in the clinic. Prior to the clinical study, diagnostic capabilities of the nanobeacon for detection of colorectal cancer were validated using 20 production batches whose characteristics were fine-tuned chemically for the purpose. Ex vivo imaging studies on 66 normal and 69 cancer tissues removed from the colons of normal and orthotopic mouse models of human colorectal cancer, respectively, demonstrated that the nanobeacon detected colorectal cancer with excellent capabilities whose rates of true and false positives were 91% and 5%, respectively. In the clinical study, normal and tumor tissues on the large intestinal mucosa were biopsied endoscopically from 11 patients with colorectal tumors. Histological evaluation revealed that 9 patients suffered from cancer and the rest had adenoma. Mean fluorescence intensities of tumor tissues treated with the nanobeacon were significantly higher than those of the corresponding normal tissues. Correlation of magnitude relation of the intensity in individuals was observed in cancer patients with a high probability (89%); however, the probability reduced to 50% in adenoma patients. There was a reasonable likelihood for diagnosis of colorectal cancer by the nanobeacon applied to the mucosa of the large intestine.

Toxicity studies of coumarin 6-encapsulated polystyrene nanospheres conjugated with peanut agglutinin and poly(N-vinylacetamide) as a colonoscopic imaging agent in rats

We are investigating an imaging agent that detects early-stage primary colorectal cancer on the mucosal surface in real time under colonoscopic observation. The imaging agent, which is named the nanobeacon, is fluorescent nanospheres conjugated with peanut agglutinin and poly(N-vinylacetamide). Its potential use as an imaging tool for colorectal cancer has been thoroughly validated in numerous studies. Here, toxicities of the nanobeacon were assessed in rats. The nanobeacon was prepared according to the synthetic manner which is being established as the Good Manufacturing Practice-guided production. The rat study was performed in accordance with Good Laboratory Practice regulations. No nanobeacon treatment-related toxicity was observed. The no observable adverse effect levels (NOAEL) of the nanobeacon in 7-day consecutive oral administration and single intrarectal administration were estimated to be more than 1000mg/kg/day and 50mg/kg/day, respectively. We concluded that the nanobeacon could be developed as a safe diagnostic agent for colonoscopy applications.

FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR

Colon cancer remains a major cause of death. Early detection can result in early treatment and thus survival. In this article, the authors tested potential systemic toxicity of coumarin 6-encapsulated polystyrene nanospheres conjugated with peanut agglutinin (PNA) and poly(N-vinylacetamide) (PNVA), which had been shown to bind specifically to colonic cancer cells and thus very promising in colonoscopic detection of cancer cells.

Fluorescence-based endoscopic imaging of Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen to improve early detection of colorectal cancer

Thomsen-Friedenreich (TF) antigen belongs to the mucin-type tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen. Notably, TF antigen is overexpressed in colorectal cancer (CRC) but is rarely expressed in normal colonic tissue. Increased TF antigen expression is associated with tumor invasion and metastasis. In this study, we sought to validate a novel nanobeacon for imaging TF-associated CRC in a preclinical animal model. We developed and characterized the nanobeacon for use with fluorescence colonoscopy. In vivo imaging was performed on an orthotopic rat model of CRC. Both white light and fluorescence colonoscopy methods were utilized to establish the ratio-imaging index for the probe. The nanobeacon exhibited specificity for TF-associated cancer. Fluorescence colonoscopy using the probe can detect lesions at the stage which is not readily confirmed by conventional visualization methods. Further, the probe can report the dynamic change of TF expression as tumor regresses during chemotherapy. Data from this study suggests that fluorescence colonoscopy can improve early CRC detection. Supplemented by the established ratio-imaging index, the probe can be used not only for early detection, but also for reporting tumor response during chemotherapy. Furthermore, since the data obtained through in vivo imaging confirmed that the probe was not absorbed by the colonic mucosa, no registered toxicity is associated with this nanobeacon. Taken together, these data demonstrate the potential of this novel probe for imaging TF antigen as a biomarker for the early detection and prediction of the progression of CRC at the molecular level.

Advances in imaging probes and optical microendoscopic imaging techniques for early in vivo cancer assessment

A new chapter in the history of medical diagnosis happened when the first X-ray technology was invented in the late 1800s. Since then, many non-invasive and minimally invasive imaging techniques have been invented for clinical diagnosis to research in cellular biology, drug discovery, and disease monitoring. These imaging modalities have leveraged the benefits of significant advances in computer, electronics, and information technology and, more recently, targeted molecular imaging. The development of targeted contrast agents such as fluorescent and nanoparticle probes coupled with optical imaging techniques has made it possible to selectively view specific biological events and processes in both in vivo and ex vivo systems with great sensitivity and selectivity. Thus, the combination of targeted molecular imaging probes and optical imaging techniques have become a mainstay in modern medicinal and biological research. Many promising results have demonstrated great potentials to translate to clinical applications. In this review, we describe a discussion of employing imaging probes and optical microendoscopic imaging techniques for cancer diagnosis.

Specificity of lectin-immobilized fluorescent nanospheres for colorectal tumors in a mouse model which better resembles the clinical disease

We have been investigating an imaging agent that enables real-time and accurate diagnosis of early colorectal cancer at the intestinal mucosa by colonoscopy. The imaging agent is peanut agglutinin-immobilized polystyrene nanospheres with surface poly(N-vinylacetamide) chains encapsulating coumarin 6. Intracolonically-administered lectin-immobilized fluorescent nanospheres detect tumor-derived changes through molecular recognition of lectin for the terminal sugar of cancer-specific antigens on the mucosal surface. The focus of the present study was to evaluate imaging abilities of the nanospheres in animal models that reflect clinical environments. We previously developed an orthotopic mouse model with human colorectal tumors growing on the mucosa of the descending colon to better resemble the clinical disease. The entire colon of the mice in the exposed abdomen was monitored in real time with an in vivo imaging apparatus. Fluorescence from the nanospheres was observed along the entire descending colon after intracolonical administration from the anus. When the luminal side of the colon was washed with phosphate-buffered saline, most of the nanospheres were flushed. However, fluorescence persisted in areas where cancer cells were implanted. Histological evaluation demonstrated that tumors were present in the mucosal epithelia where the nanospheres fluoresced. In contrast, no fluorescence was observed when control mice, without tumors were tested. The lectin-immobilized fluorescent nanospheres were tumor-specific and remained bound to tumors even after vigorous washing. The nanospheres nonspecifically bound to normal mucosa were easily removed through mild washing. These results indicate that the nanospheres combined with colonoscopy, will be a clinically-valuable diagnostic tool for early-stage primary colon carcinoma.

Design of near-infrared fluorescent bioactive conjugated functional iron oxide nanoparticles for optical detection of colon cancer

Background

Colon cancer is one of the major causes of death in the Western world. Early detection significantly improves long-term survival for patients with the disease. Near- infrared (NIR) fluorescent nanoparticles hold great promise as contrast agents for tumor detection. NIR offers several advantages for bioimaging compared with fluorescence in the visible spectrum, ie, lower autofluorescence of biological tissues, lower absorbance, and consequently deeper penetration into biomatrices.

Methods and results

NIR fluorescent iron oxide nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution were prepared by nucleation, followed by controlled growth of thin iron oxide films onto cyanine NIR dye conjugated gelatin-iron oxide nuclei. For functionalization, and in order to increase the NIR fluorescence intensity, the NIR fluorescent iron oxide nanoparticles obtained were coated with human serum albumin containing cyanine NIR dye. Leakage of the NIR dye from these nanoparticles into phosphate-buffered saline solution containing 4% albumin was not detected. The work presented here is a feasibility study to test the suitability of iron oxide-human serum albumin NIR fluorescent nanoparticles for optical detection of colon cancer. It demonstrates that encapsulation of NIR fluorescent dye within these nanoparticles significantly reduces photobleaching of the dye. Tumor-targeting ligands, peanut agglutinin and anticarcinoembryonic antigen antibodies (αCEA), were covalently conjugated with the NIR fluorescent iron oxide-human serum albumin nanoparticles via a poly(ethylene glycol) spacer. Specific colon tumor detection was demonstrated in chicken embryo and mouse models for both nonconjugated and the peanut agglutinin-conjugated or αCEA-conjugated NIR fluorescent iron oxide-human serum albumin nanoparticles.

Conclusion

Conjugation of peanut agglutinin or αCEA to the nanoparticles significantly increased the fluorescence intensity of the tagged colon tumor tissues relative to the nonconjugated nanoparticles.