| Abstract | Aim: To describe how pegylated glucose-coated gold nanoparticles (PEG-Glu-GNPs) can help improve computed tomography (CT) imaging. Materials and methods: PEG-Glu-GNPs were designed for use as an imaging nanoprobe to act an effective contrast agent for both CT and PET scans. Twelve BALB/c mice were divided into two groups: mice with injected with PEG-Glu-GNPs and control mice. The mice were examined using high-resolution micro-CT at different time intervals (24 h, 7 days, and 15 days) after the injection of the particles. Greyscale density and CT attenuation values were determined to trace the excretion of the particles over time. Results: Tumour contours were easily distinguished from surrounding tissue in mice injected with PEG-Glu-GNPs but not controls. This distinction was still visible at 7 days, but not at 15 days post-injection. Conclusion: Molecular imaging technology has enabled the development of a new generation of imaging probes. These sophisticated probes can visualize biological processes or enable early diagnosis of diseases in vivo. Compared to conventional CT images and PET scans, PEG-Glu-GNPs significantly improved image quality at the cellular and molecular level, which can significantly aid the early detection of cancer or cancer metastases. © 2014 The Royal College of Radiologists. |
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