Determining arterial macrophage expression is an important goal in the molecular imaging of atherosclerosis. Here we compare the efficacy of two synthetic, HDL-based contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of macrophage burden. Each form of HDL was labeled with gadolinium and rhodamine to allow MRI and fluorescence microscopy. Either the 37 or 18 amino acid peptide replaced the apolipoprotein A-I in these agents, which were termed 37pA-Gd or 18A-Gd. The diameters of 37pA-Gd and 18A-Gd are 7.6 nm and 8.0 nm, respectively, while the longitudinal relaxivities are 9.8 and 10.0 (mMs) -1 . 37pA has better lipid binding properties. In vitro tests with J774A.1 macrophages proved the particles possessed the functionality of HDL by eliciting cholesterol efflux and were taken up in a receptor-like fashion by the cells. Both agents produced enhancements in atherosclerotic plaques of apolipoprotein E knockout mice of ~90% (n=7 per agent) and are macrophage specific as evidenced by confocal microscopy on aortic sections. The half-lives of 37pA-Gd and 18A-Gd are 2.6 and 2.1 hours, respectively. Despite the more favorable lipid interactions of 37pA, both agents gave similar, excellent contrast for the detection of atherosclerotic macrophages using MRI. Supporting Information AvailableThe method for macrophage efflux determination and further details of the MRI scanning setup can be found online. Furthermore, figures displaying the uptake of 18A-Gd and 37pA-Gd in macrophages as a function of time (S1 and S2), the uptake of Gd-micelles in macrophages as a function of concentration (S3) and a confocal microscopy image of the aorta of an apoE mouse where there are no macrophages (S4) are included in the supporting information. This material is available free of charge via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org/.

Lipoproteins are a family of plasma nanoparticles responsible for the transportation of lipids throughout the body. High-density lipoprotein (HDL), the smallest of the lipoprotein family, measures 7–13 nm in diameter and consists of a cholesteryl ester and triglyceride core that is covered with a monolayer of phospholipids and apolipoproteins. We have developed an iron oxide core HDL nanoparticle (FeO-HDL), which has a lipid based fluorophore incorporated in the phospholipid layer. This nanoparticle provides contrast for optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Consequently, FeO-HDL can be visualized on the anatomical, cellular and sub-cellular level. In the current study we show that the biophysical features of FeO-HDL closely resemble those of native HDL and that FeO-HDL possess the ability to mimic HDL characteristics both in vitro as well as in vivo. We demonstrate that FeO-HDL can be applied to image HDL interactions and to investigate disease settings where HDL plays a key function. More generally, we have demonstrated a multimodal approach to study the behavior of biomaterials in vitro as well as in vivo. The approach allowed us to study nanoparticle dynamics in circulation, as well as nanoparticle targeting and uptake by tissues and cells of interest. Moreover, we were able to qualitatively assess nanoparticle excretion, critical for translating nanotechnologies to the clinic.

There are many liver diseases that could be treated with delivery of therapeutics such as DNA, proteins or small molecules. Nanoparticles are often proposed as delivery vectors for such therapeutics, however, achieving nanoparticle accumulations in the therapeutically relevant hepatocytes is challenging. In order to address this issue, we have synthesized polymer coated, fluorescent iron oxide nanoparticles that bind and deliver DNA, as well as produce contrast for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fluorescence imaging and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The composition of the coating can be varied in a facile manner to increase the quantity of polyethylene glycol (PEG) from 0% to 5%, 10% or 25%, with the aim of reducing opsonization, but maintaining DNA binding. We investigated the effect of the nanoparticle coating on DNA binding, cell uptake, cell transfection and opsonization in vitro. Furthermore, we exploited MRI, fluorescence imaging and TEM to investigate the distribution of the different formulations in the liver of mice. While MRI and fluorescence imaging showed that each formulation was heavily taken up in the livers at 24 hours, the 10% PEG formulation was taken up by the therapeutically relevant hepatocytes more extensively than either the 0% PEG or the 5% PEG, indicating its potential for delivery of therapeutics to the liver.