Issue 37, 2013

Bismuth@US-tubes as a potential contrast agent for X-ray imaging applications

Abstract

The encapsulation of bismuth as BiOCl/Bi2O3 within ultra-short (ca. 50 nm) single-walled carbon nanocapsules (US-tubes) has been achieved. The Bi@US-tubes have been characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. Bi@US-tubes have been used for intracellular labeling of pig bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to show high X-ray contrast in computed tomography (CT) cellular imaging for the first time. The relatively high contrast is achieved with low bismuth loading (2.66% by weight) within the US-tubes and without compromising cell viability. X-ray CT imaging of Bi@US-tubes-labeled MSCs showed a nearly two-fold increase in contrast enhancement when compared to unlabeled MSCs in a 100 kV CT clinical scanner. The CT signal enhancement from the Bi@US-tubes is 500 times greater than polymer-coated Bi2S3 nanoparticles and several-fold that of any clinical iodinated contrast agent (CA) at the same concentration. Our findings suggest that the Bi@US-tubes can be used as a potential new class of X-ray CT agent for stem cell labeling and possibly in vivo tracking.

Graphical abstract: Bismuth@US-tubes as a potential contrast agent for X-ray imaging applications

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
25 May 2013
Accepted
29 Jul 2013
First published
30 Jul 2013

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013,1, 4792-4800

Bismuth@US-tubes as a potential contrast agent for X-ray imaging applications

E. J. Rivera, L. A. Tran, M. Hernández-Rivera, D. Yoon, A. G. Mikos, I. A. Rusakova, B. Y. Cheong, M. D. G. Cabreira-Hansen, J. T. Willerson, E. C. Perin and L. J. Wilson, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013, 1, 4792 DOI: 10.1039/C3TB20742K

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