Phua Vanessa Jing Xin, Yang Chang-Tong, Xia Bin, Yan Sean Xuexian, Liu Jiang, Aw Swee Eng, He Tao, Ng David Chee Eng
Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Radiological Sciences Division, Singapore General Hospital, Outram Road, Singapore 169608, Singapore.
Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore 169857, Singapore.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2022 Feb 9;12(4):582. doi: 10.3390/nano12040582.
Nuclear imaging is a powerful non-invasive imaging technique that is rapidly developing in medical theranostics. Nuclear imaging requires radiolabeling isotopes for non-invasive imaging through the radioactive decay emission of the radionuclide. Nuclear imaging probes, commonly known as radiotracers, are radioisotope-labeled small molecules. Nanomaterials have shown potential as nuclear imaging probes for theranostic applications. By modifying the surface of nanomaterials, multifunctional radio-labeled nanomaterials can be obtained for in vivo biodistribution and targeting in initial animal imaging studies. Various surface modification strategies have been developed, and targeting moieties have been attached to the nanomaterials to render biocompatibility and enable specific targeting. Through integration of complementary imaging probes to a single nanoparticulate, multimodal molecular imaging can be performed as images with high sensitivity, resolution, and specificity. In this review, nanomaterial nuclear imaging probes including inorganic nanomaterials such as quantum dots (QDs), organic nanomaterials such as liposomes, and exosomes are summarized. These new developments in nanomaterials are expected to introduce a paradigm shift in nuclear imaging, thereby creating new opportunities for theranostic medical imaging tools.
核成像是一种强大的非侵入性成像技术，正在医学诊疗领域迅速发展。核成像需要通过放射性核素的放射性衰变发射对同位素进行放射性标记，以实现非侵入性成像。核成像探针，通常称为放射性示踪剂，是放射性同位素标记的小分子。纳米材料已显示出作为用于诊疗应用的核成像探针的潜力。通过修饰纳米材料的表面，可以获得多功能放射性标记的纳米材料，用于体内生物分布研究以及在初步动物成像研究中的靶向定位。已经开发了各种表面修饰策略，并将靶向部分连接到纳米材料上，以实现生物相容性并实现特异性靶向。通过将互补成像探针整合到单个纳米颗粒中，可以进行具有高灵敏度、分辨率和特异性的图像的多模态分子成像。在本综述中，总结了包括无机纳米材料（如量子点（QDs））、有机纳米材料（如脂质体）和外泌体在内的纳米材料核成像探针。纳米材料的这些新发展有望在核成像领域引发范式转变，从而为诊疗医学成像工具创造新的机会。
