Amphiphilic protein micelles for targeted in vivo imaging

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Wookhyun Kim, Harvard University; Colin Brady, Emory University; Elliot L. Chaikof, Harvard University
• Language: English
• Date: 2012-07-01
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2012 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2012.04.011
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Acta Biomaterialia
• ISSN: 1742-7061
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 7
• Start Page: 2476
• End Page: 2482
• Grant/Funding Information: Use of Malvern Zetasizer was supported by the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering of Harvard.; This work was supported by the NIH and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
• Keywords: ACCUMULATION; Polypeptides; NANOCARRIERS; Bioimaging; Protein micelles; VASCULAR-PERMEABILITY; Science & Technology; POLYMER; Materials Science, Biomaterials; DRUG-DELIVERY; Technology; Vascular permeability; BIOCOMPATIBILITY; Engineering; FLUORESCENT NANOPARTICLES; Conjugation; Engineering, Biomedical; ENDOTHELIUM; CANCER; Materials Science; POLYPEPTIDES
• Research Categories: Engineering, Biomedical

Abstract

A variety of polymeric nanoparticles have been developed for bioimaging applications. This study reports on the use of a 50 nm recombinant protein nanoparticle with a multivalent surface as a vehicle for functionalization with a model imaging agent. Multiple fluorescent probes were covalently conjugated to surface amines of crosslinked amphiphilic elastin-mimetic protein micelles using N-hydroxysuccinimide ester chemistry. In vivo fluorescence imaging confirmed that protein micelles selectively accumulated at sites of angioplasty induced vessel wall injury, presumably via an enhanced permeability and retention effect. This investigation demonstrates the potential of amphiphilic protein micelles to be used as a vehicle for selective imaging of sites associated with a disrupted or leaky endothelium.