The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
Nano Lett. 2013 Feb 13;13(2):581-5. doi: 10.1021/nl304111v. Epub 2013 Feb 1.
Cerenkov luminescence imaging based on light emission from the decay of radionuclides has recently drawn great interest in molecular imaging. In this paper, we report for the first time the Cerenkov luminescence phenomenon of (198)Au isotope, as well as a facile route to the preparation of radioluminescent Au nanocages without additional radiolabeling or dye conjugation. The specific radioactivity of the Au nanocages could be easily and precisely controlled by varying the concentration of H(198)AuCl(4) precursor used for the galvanic replacement reaction. The direct incorporation of (198)Au atoms into the structure of Au nanocages enabled the ability of accurate analysis and real-time imaging in vivo. Furthermore, under biological conditions the radioactive Au nanocages were shown to emit light with wavelengths in the visible and near-infrared regions, enabling luminescence imaging of the whole mice in vivo, as well as the organs ex vivo. When combined with their favorable scattering and absorption properties in the near-infrared region, the radioactive Au nanocages can serve as a new platform for multimodality imaging and will have a significant impact on both small animal and clinical imaging.
基于放射性核素衰变发射光的切伦科夫发光成像是分子成像领域的研究热点。本文首次报道了（198）Au 同位素的切伦科夫发光现象，并提出了一种简便的方法来制备无需额外放射性标记或染料偶联的发光金纳米笼。通过改变用于电替换反应的 H（198）AuCl4 前体的浓度，可以轻松且精确地控制金纳米笼的比活度。（198）Au 原子直接掺入金纳米笼的结构中，实现了准确分析和实时体内成像的能力。此外，在生物条件下，放射性金纳米笼发出可见光和近红外区域的光，实现了整个小鼠体内以及离体器官的发光成像。当与它们在近红外区域的有利散射和吸收特性相结合时，放射性金纳米笼可以作为一种新的多模态成像平台，对小动物和临床成像都将产生重大影响。
