Rapid Transformation of Protein-Caged Nanomaterials into Microbubbles As Bimodal Imaging Agents

• Published in: ACS nano Vol. 6; no. 6; pp. 5111 - 5121
• Main Authors: Lin, Cheng-An J, Chuang, Wen-Kai, Huang, Zih-Yun, Kang, Shih-Tsung, Chang, Ching-Yi, Chen, Ching-Ta, Li, Jhih-Liang, Li, Jimmy K, Wang, Hsueh-Hsiao, Kung, Fu-Chen, Shen, Ji-Lin, Chan, Wen-Hsiung, Yeh, Chih-Kuang, Yeh, Hung-I, Lai, Wen-Fu T, Chang, Walter H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 26.06.2012
• Subjects: Cavitation; Contrast agents; Contrast Media - chemical synthesis; Fluorescence; Gold; Imaging; Materials Testing; Microbubbles; Microscopy, Fluorescence - methods; Molecular Imaging - methods; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanostructure; Proteins; quantum dots; microbubbles; bimodal imaging; fluorescent gold nanoclusters; ultrasound; protein corona
• ISSN: 1936-0851; 1936-086X; 1936-086X
• DOI: 10.1021/nn300768d

We present a general method for converting colloidal nanomaterials into microbubbles as ultrasound contrast agents. Protein-caged nanomaterials, made either by self-assembled nanoparticles' protein corona or by fluorescent gold nanoclusters, can be rapidly transformed into microbubbles via a sonochemical route, which promote disulfide cross-linking of cysteine residues between protein-caged nanomaterials and free albumin during acoustic cavitation. The proposed methods yielded microbubbles with multiple functions by adjusting the original nanoparticle/protein mixture. We also showed a new dual-modal imaging agent of fluorescent gold microbubbles in vitro and in vivo, which can hold many potential applications in medical diagnostics and therapy.