Retinoic acid‐conjugated chitosan/manganese porphyrin ionic‐complex nanoparticles for improved T₁ contrast MR imaging of hepatic fibrosis

Abstract

Noninvasive and precise diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis is very important for the preventive therapeutic regimen of hepatic cirrhosis and cancer. In this study, we fabricated T 1 contrast Mn-porphyrin (MnTPPS 4 )/retinoic acid-chitosan ionic-complex nanoparticles (MRC NPs). The functional properties of MRC NPs were evaluated via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging, release study, cytotoxicity assay, hepatocyte-specific uptake assay, and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging study. TEM images confirmed the typical structure of an ionic-complex NPs with around 100-200 nm of diameter. MnTPPS 4 is released from MRC NPs for up to 24 hr in con-

Advances in Noninvasive Molecular Imaging Probes for Liver Fibrosis Diagnosis

“…Tran et al. [ 105 ] developed a manganese (Mn)-based T1 contrast agent, Mn-porphyrin (MnTPPS 4 )/retinoic acid-chitosan ionic-complex (MRC) NPs. Among these, chitosan, a positively charged biopolymer [ 106 ], and MnTPPS 4 , a negatively charged T1 contrast agent, formed an ionic complex and then introduced RA, targeting liver fibrosis by binding to RARs and RXRs in the liver for imaging.…”

“…The MRC NPs exhibit significant potential as a T1 contrast agent, facilitating early diagnosis of liver fibrosis. Additionally, they function as a valuable physiological tool for actively targeting the liver [ 105 ].…”

FRET‐Amplified Singlet Oxygen Generation by Nanocomposites Comprising Ternary AgInS2/ZnS Quantum Dots and Molecular Photosensitizers

“…The positive charge of CS enables it to interact electrostatically with the negatively charged bacterial membrane surface, increasing the probability of cellular uptake [23] . Furthermore, due to the presence of a large number of hydroxyl and amino groups in its structure, CS can be chemically conjugated with photosensitizing agents [24–27] . For example, CS can be used as a matrix for hydrophobic porphyrin molecules, increasing their water solubility, [28,29] as well as it can effectively bind negatively charged nanoparticles [30,31] …”

“…[23] Furthermore, due to the presence of a large number of hydroxyl and amino groups in its structure, CS can be chemically conjugated with photosensitizing agents. [24][25][26][27] For example, CS can be used as a matrix for hydrophobic porphyrin molecules, increasing their water solubility, [28,29] as well as it can effectively bind negatively charged nanoparticles. [30,31] The emergence of nanotechnology in a-PDT has opened up a new area of research on the development of nanocomposites based on photosensitizer molecules and nanostructured materials.…”