Lu Chang, Liao Shiyi, Chen Baode, Xu Li, Wu Na, Lu Dingyou, Kang Heemin, Zhang Xiao-Bing, Song Guosheng
State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, China.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
Nat Mater. 2025 Jan;24(1):133-142. doi: 10.1038/s41563-024-02054-0. Epub 2024 Nov 25.
Nitric oxide (NO), a pivotal signalling molecule, plays multifaceted roles in physiological and pathological processes, including cardiovascular and immune functions, neurotransmission and cancer progression. Nevertheless, measuring NO in vivo is challenging due to its transient nature and the complexity of the biological environment. Here we describe NO-responsive magnetic probes made of crosslinked superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles tethered to a NO-sensitive cleavable linker for highly sensitive and selective NO magnetic resonance imaging in vivo. These probes enable the detection of NO at concentrations as low as 0.147 μM, allowing for the imaging and quantification of NO in mouse tumour models, studying its effects on tumour progression and immunity and assessing the response of tumour-associated macrophages to cancer immunotherapeutic agents. Additionally, they facilitate concurrent anatomical and molecular imaging of organs, helping to identify pathological alterations in the liver. Overall, these probes represent promising non-invasive tools for investigating the dose-dependent conflicting role of NO in physiological and pathophysiological processes.
一氧化氮（NO）是一种关键的信号分子，在生理和病理过程中发挥着多方面的作用，包括心血管和免疫功能、神经传递以及癌症进展。然而，由于其瞬态性质和生物环境的复杂性，在体内测量NO具有挑战性。在这里，我们描述了一种由交联超顺磁性氧化铁纳米颗粒制成的NO响应性磁性探针，该纳米颗粒与一个对NO敏感的可裂解连接体相连，用于在体内进行高灵敏度和选择性的NO磁共振成像。这些探针能够检测低至0.147μM浓度的NO，从而实现对小鼠肿瘤模型中NO的成像和定量分析，研究其对肿瘤进展和免疫的影响，并评估肿瘤相关巨噬细胞对癌症免疫治疗药物的反应。此外，它们有助于对器官进行同步的解剖学和分子成像，有助于识别肝脏中的病理改变。总体而言，这些探针是用于研究NO在生理和病理生理过程中剂量依赖性矛盾作用的有前景的非侵入性工具。
