Large-scale synthesis of PEGylated lutetium hydroxycarbonates as nanoparticulate contrast agents for X-ray CT imaging

Abstract

Nanoparticulate contrast agents have drawn considerable attention and interest because of their potential application in medical diagnosis and prognosis. In the present study, we designed and constructed high-performance nanoparticulate contrast agents based on PEGylated lutetium hydroxycarbonate nanoparticles (PEG-LuNPs) for X-ray computed tomography imaging, which were synthesized via a green and large-scale route. Under the daily clinical voltage, our PEG-LuNPs provided much more enhanced contrast than the routinely used iodine-based molecules. More importantly, PEG-LuNPs could act as liver-targeted contrast agents for the further detection of hepatic metastases. Both in vitro and in vivo toxicity studies indicated that these nanoparticles possess extremely high biocompatibility, revealing their overall safety. Based on these results, PEG-LuNPs with intrinsic physicochemical properties and excellent imaging capability demonstrated a useful nanoplatform for biomedical applications.