Albumin-Functionalized Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Theranostics: Engineering and Long-Term In Situ Imaging

Unveiling Nanoparticles: Recent Approaches in Studying the Internalization Pattern of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Mono- and Multicellular Biological Structures

Nanoparticle (NP)-based solutions for oncotherapy promise an improved efficiency of the anticancer response, as well as higher comfort for the patient. The current advancements in cancer treatment based on nanotechnology exploit the ability of these systems to pass biological barriers to target the tumor cell, as well as tumor cell organelles. In particular, iron oxide NPs are being clinically employed in oncological management due to this ability. When designing an efficient anti-cancer therapy based on NPs, it is important to know and to modulate the phenomena which take place during the interaction of the NPs with the tumor cells, as well as the normal tissues. In this regard, our review is focused on highlighting different approaches to studying the internalization patterns of iron oxide NPs in simple and complex 2D and 3D in vitro cell models, as well as in living tissues, in order to investigate the functionality of an NP-based treatment.

Application of spectral CT in diagnosis, classification and prognostic monitoring of gastrointestinal cancers: progress, limitations and prospects

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Computed tomography (CT) is an important auxiliary tool for the diagnosis, evaluation, and prognosis prediction of gastrointestinal tumors. Spectral CT is another major CT revolution after spiral CT and multidetector CT. Compared to traditional CT which only provides single-parameter anatomical diagnostic mode imaging, spectral CT can achieve multi-parameter imaging and provide a wealth of image information to optimize disease diagnosis. In recent years, with the rapid development and application of spectral CT, more and more studies on the application of spectral CT in the characterization of GI tumors have been published. For this review, we obtained a substantial volume of literature, focusing on spectral CT imaging of gastrointestinal cancers, including esophageal, stomach, colorectal, liver, and pancreatic cancers. We found that spectral CT can not only accurately stage gastrointestinal tumors before operation but also distinguish benign and malignant GI tumors with improved image quality, and effectively evaluate the therapeutic response and prognosis of the lesions. In addition, this paper also discusses the limitations and prospects of using spectral CT in GI cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Peroxidase-Like Activity of Magnetic Nanoparticles in the Presence of Blood Proteins

The generation of hydroxyl radicals from hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solutions containing magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), hemoglobin (Hb), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and human serum albumin (HSA) was determined. The dependence of the rate of formation of the oxidized product of o-phenylenediamine (o-PDA) on the concentration of MNPs in solution, as well as on the concentration of proteins, was obtained. The peroxidase-like activity of MNPs was shown to decrease in the presence of HSA and IgG, while the addition of Hb to the reaction mixture led to its decrease and increase depending on protein concentration. The obtained effects can be used in the engineering of systems based on MNPs for theranostics (in particular, for suppression of tumor growth) and in predicting the ability of particles to catalyze the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in vivo.