Engineered Biomimetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Early MR Diagnosis and Intervention of Atherosclerotic Vulnerable Plaques

Motivation: The identification and intervention of atherosclerotic plaques is effective to prevent cardiovascular events. However, specific detection methods in vivo are lacking. Goal(s): The objective of this study was to prepare M2-PNVs@Fe3O4 and to improve the accuracy of contrast agent delivery. Approach: In vitro, the contrast agent was co-cultured with Raw264.7, HUVEC and collagen, respectively. In vivo, the fluorescence imaging and MRI contrast-enhancing effect was investigated in mice. Results: The contrast agent has good targeting of vulnerable plaques, and high SNR were obtained on T2WI sequences. In addition, the contrast agent effectively attenuates the levels of inflammatory factors. Impact: We prepared biomimetic contrast agent to improve the targeting specificity of vulnerable plaques, which is a major innovation in the application of bionic nanotechnology to atherosclerosis. Meanwhile, this study provided ideas for the integration diagnosis and treatment of contrast agents.