Targeting pancreatic cancer with magneto-fluorescent theranostic gold nanoshells

• Published in: Nanomedicine (London, England) Vol. 9; no. 8; pp. 1209 - 1222
• Main Authors: Chen, Wenxue, Ayala-Orozco, Ciceron, Biswal, Nrusingh C, Perez-Torres, Carlos, Bartels, Marc, Bardhan, Rizia, Stinnet, Gary, Liu, Xian-De, Ji, Baoan, Deorukhkar, Amit, Brown, Lisa V, Guha, Sushovan, Pautler, Robia G, Krishnan, Sunil, Halas, Naomi J, Joshi, Amit
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Future Medicine Ltd 01.06.2014; Future Medicine
• Subjects: Acute-Phase Proteins - metabolism; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Care and treatment; Cell Line, Tumor; Contrast Media - chemistry; Contrast Media - therapeutic use; Digestive system; Drug Delivery Systems; Drug targeting; Female; Fluorescent Dyes - chemistry; Fluorescent Dyes - therapeutic use; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Gold - chemistry; Gold - therapeutic use; Gold compounds; Health aspects; Humans; Hyperthermia, Induced; Innovations; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Lipocalin-2; Lipocalins - metabolism; Liver. Biliary tract. Portal circulation. Exocrine pancreas; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Magnets - chemistry; Medical sciences; Mice, Nude; MRI; Multiple tumors. Solid tumors. Tumors in childhood (general aspects); Nanoparticles; nanoshells; Nanoshells - chemistry; Nanoshells - therapeutic use; noninvasive imaging; Oncogene Proteins - metabolism; Optical Imaging; Pancreas - pathology; Pancreatic cancer; Pancreatic Neoplasms - diagnosis; Pancreatic Neoplasms - pathology; Pancreatic Neoplasms - therapy; Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques; Phototherapy; photothermal; Tumors; Iron oxide; Targeting; MRI; photothermal; Indocyanine green; nanoshells; Photothermal therapy; Target; pancreatic cancer; Nanoshell; Pancreas cancer; noninvasive imaging; Nanomedicine; Pancreatic disease; Gold; Rodentia; Optical imaging; Malignant tumor; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Theranostics; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; Animal; Non invasive method; Medical imagery; Digestive diseases; Cancer; optical imaging
• ISSN: 1743-5889; 1748-6963
• DOI: 10.2217/nnm.13.84

We report a magneto-fluorescent theranostic nanocomplex targeted to neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) for imaging and therapy of pancreatic cancer. Gold nanoshells resonant at 810 nm were encapsulated in silica epilayers doped with iron oxide and the near-infrared (NIR) dye indocyanine green, resulting in theranostic gold nanoshells (TGNS), which were subsequently conjugated with antibodies targeting NGAL in AsPC-1-derived xenografts in nude mice. Anti-NGAL-conjugated TGNS specifically targeted pancreatic cancer cells and providing contrast for both NIR fluorescence and T -weighted MRI with higher tumor contrast than can be obtained using long-circulating, but nontargeted, PEGylated nanoparticles. The nanocomplexes also enabled highly specific cancer cell death via NIR photothermal therapy . TGNS with embedded NIR and magnetic resonance contrasts can be specifically targeted to pancreatic cancer cells with expression of early disease marker NGAL, and enable molecularly targeted imaging and photothermal therapy. Original submitted 6 November 2012; Revised submitted 25 March 2013