Melanocortin 1 Receptor Targeted Imaging of Melanoma With Gold Nanocages and Positron Emission Tomography

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Yongfeng Zhao, Washington University in St. Louis; Bo Pang, Georgia Institute of Technology; Lisa Detering, Washington University in St. Louis; Hannah Luehmann, Washington University in St. Louis; Miaoxin Yang, Georgia Institute of Technology; Kvar Black, Washington University in St. Louis; Deborah Sultan, Washington University in St. Louis; Younan Xia, Emory University; Yongjian Liu, Washington University in St. Louis
• Language: English
• Date: 2018-05-14
• Publisher: SAGE Journals
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s) 2018.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1536012118775827
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Molecular Imaging
• Volume: 17
• Start Page: 1536012118775827
• End Page: 1536012118775827
• Grant/Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported in part by a grant from NIH (R01 CA138527) and startup funds from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
• Keywords: Melanoma, Experimental; Animals; Polyethylene Glycols; melanocortin 1 receptor; Metal Nanoparticles; Molecular Imaging; alpha-MSH; Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 1; Positron-Emission Tomography; Gold; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; positron emission tomography; Tissue Distribution; melanoma; gold nanocage; α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone
• Research Categories: Engineering, Biomedical; Health Sciences, Radiology; Chemistry, Biochemistry; Biology, Molecular

Abstract

Purpose: Melanoma is a lethal skin cancer with unmet clinical needs for targeted imaging and therapy. Nanoscale materials conjugated with targeting components have shown great potential to improve tumor delivery efficiency while minimizing undesirable side effects in vivo. Herein, we proposed to develop targeted nanoparticles for melanoma theranostics. Method: In this work, gold nanocages (AuNCs) were conjugated with α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) peptide and radiolabeled with 64Cu for melanocortin 1 receptor-(MC1R) targeted positron emission tomography (PET) in a mouse B16/F10 melanoma model. Results: Their controlled synthesis and surface chemistry enabled well-defined structure and radiolabeling efficiency. In vivo pharmacokinetic evaluation demonstrated comparable organ distribution between the targeted and nontargeted AuNCs. However, micro-PET/computed tomography (CT) imaging demonstrated specific and improved tumor accumulation via MC1R-mediated delivery. By increasing the coverage density of α-MSH peptide on AuNCs, the tumor delivery efficiency was improved. Conclusion: The controlled synthesis, sensitive PET imaging, and optimal tumor targeting suggested the potential of targeted AuNCs for melanoma theranostics.