Carbon nanotubes for biomedical imaging: The recent advances

• Published in: Advanced drug delivery reviews Vol. 65; no. 15; pp. 1951 - 1963
• Main Authors: Gong, Hua, Peng, Rui, Liu, Zhuang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.12.2013
• Subjects: Animals; Biomedical imaging; Carbon nanotubes; Contrast Media - chemistry; Diagnostic Imaging - instrumentation; Diagnostic Imaging - methods; Fluorescence; Humans; Magnetic resonance; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Metal Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanotubes, Carbon - chemistry; NIR-II fluorescence; Nuclear imaging; Photoacoustic; Raman scattering; Spectrum Analysis, Raman - methods; QDs; hMSCs; EPR; Nuclear imaging; Carbon nanotubes; US-tubes; SPECT; C18PMH-PEG; CNTs; Raman scattering; DOTA; VHSs; RBM; MSC; CTCs; Biomedical imaging; NIR-II fluorescence; MR; Magnetic resonance; GNTs; QY; DOS; ICG; PCA; Photoacoustic; PA; SWNTs; 1D; PEG; PL–PEG; SERS; NIR; PAH; PET; 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid; van Hoff singularities; poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene)-polyethylene glycol; surface enhanced Raman scattering; principle component analysis; phospholipid–PEG; enhanced permeability and retention; human MSCs; near infrared; polyethylene glycol; golden nanotubes; indocyanine green; single photon emission computed tomography; ultra-short SWNTs; mesenchymal stem cells; one dimensional; single-walled carbon nanotubes; poly(allylamine hydrochloride); radical breathing mode; circulating tumor cells; quantum yield; quantum dots; positron emission tomography; density of states
• ISSN: 0169-409X; 1872-8294
• DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2013.10.002

This article reviews the latest progresses regarding the applications of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), including single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), as multifunctional nano-probes for biomedical imaging. Utilizing the intrinsic band-gap fluorescence of semi-conducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), fluorescence imaging in the near infrared II (NIR-II) region with enhanced tissue penetration and spatial resolution has shown great promise in recent years. Raman imaging based on the resonance Raman scattering of SWNTs has also been explored by a number of groups for in vitro and in vivo imaging of biological samples. The strong absorbance of CNTs in the NIR region can be used for photoacoustic imaging, and their photoacoustic signals can be dramatically enhanced by adding organic dyes, or coating with gold shells. Taking advantages of metal nanoparticle impurities attached to nanotubes, CNTs can also serve as a T2-contrast agent in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. In addition, when labeled with radioactive isotopes, many groups have developed nuclear imaging with functionalized CNTs. Therefore CNTs are unique imaging probes with great potential in biomedical multimodal imaging. [Display omitted]