Computed tomography imaging to evaluate the effects of gold-coated silver core-shell nanoparticles in pediatric glioma

This work aimed to evaluate the impacts of gold-coated silver core-shell (Au@Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) in computed tomography (CT) imaging of children with glioma. 28 children with glioma were enrolled and rolled into an experimental group (Exp group, n = 14) and a control group (Ctrl group, n = 14). Patients in the Exp group received CT scans enhanced by Au@Ag NPs, and those in the Ctrl group received conventional CT scans. The tumor boundary definition (TBD), tumor contrast (TC), and tumor internal structure (TIS) of patients in different groups were compared to evaluate the impacts of different methods. The results revealed that the TBD, TC, and TIS of patients in the Exp group were better to those in the Ctrl group, exhibiting great differences (P < 0.05). The TBD score in the Exp group was 4.6 ± 0.5, and that in the Ctrl group was 3.2 ± 0.8; the TC values in the Exp and Ctrl group were 78.4 ± 12.5 HU and 55.8 ± 10.1 HU, respectively. In addition, Au@Ag NPs exhibited a good biological safety, and the biochemical indicators (such as liver and kidney functions) of the patients in the Exp group were all within the normal range. Au@Ag NPs possessed good effects in CT imaging of children with glioma, and were expected to become a novel targeted contrast agent (TCA).