In vivo quantitative evaluation of the transport kinetics of gold nanocages in a lymphatic system by noninvasive photoacoustic tomography.

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy has emerged as a preferred method for axillary lymph node staging of breast cancer, and imaging the SLN in three-dimensional space is a prerequisite for the biopsy. Conventional SLN mapping techniques based on the injection of an organic dye or a suspension of radioactive colloids suffer from invasive surgical operation for visual detection of the dye or hazardous radioactive components and low spatial resolution of Geiger counters in detecting the radioactive colloids. This work systematically investigates the use of gold nanocages (AuNCs) as a novel class of optical tracers for noninvasive SLN imaging by photoacoustic (PA) tomography in a rat model. The transport of AuNCs in a lymphatic system and uptake by the SLN were evaluated by PA tomography on the axillary region of a rat. Quantification of AuNCs accumulated in the lymph node was achieved by correlating the data from PA imaging with the results from inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Several parameters were systematically evaluated and optimized, including the concentration, size, and surface charge of the AuNCs. These results are critical to the further development of this AuNC-based PA tomography system for noninvasive SLN imaging, providing valuable information for metastatic cancer staging.

[1]  L V Wang,et al.  Anisotropy in the absorption and scattering spectra of chicken breast tissue. , 1998, Applied optics.

[2]  Hui Zhang,et al.  Gold nanocages: bioconjugation and their potential use as optical imaging contrast agents. , 2005, Nano letters.

[3]  Younan Xia,et al.  Near-infrared gold nanocages as a new class of tracers for photoacoustic sentinel lymph node mapping on a rat model. , 2009, Nano letters.

[4]  Sunkuk Kwon,et al.  Noninvasive quantitative imaging of lymph function in mice. , 2007, Lymphatic research and biology.

[5]  John V Frangioni,et al.  Intraoperative sentinel lymph node mapping of the lung using near-infrared fluorescent quantum dots. , 2005, The Annals of thoracic surgery.

[6]  Younan Xia,et al.  Measuring the Optical Absorption Cross-sections of Au-Ag Nanocages and Au Nanorods by Photoacoustic Imaging. , 2009, The journal of physical chemistry. C, Nanomaterials and interfaces.

[7]  Lihong V. Wang.  Multiscale photoacoustic microscopy and computed tomography. , 2009, Nature photonics.

[8]  Weiyang Li,et al.  Facile synthesis of Ag nanocubes of 30 to 70 nm in edge length with CF(3)COOAg as a precursor. , 2010, Chemistry.

[9]  Lihong V. Wang,et al.  Noninvasive photoacoustic identification of sentinel lymph nodes containing methylene blue in vivo in a rat model. , 2008, Journal of biomedical optics.

[10]  Savitri Krishnamurthy,et al.  Role of ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration of indeterminate and suspicious axillary lymph nodes in the initial staging of breast carcinoma , 2002, Cancer.

[11]  Chulhong Kim,et al.  Noninvasive in vivo spectroscopic nanorod-contrast photoacoustic mapping of sentinel lymph nodes. , 2009, European journal of radiology.

[12]  Geng Ku,et al.  Deeply penetrating photoacoustic tomography in biological tissues enhanced with an optical contrast agent. , 2005, Optics letters.

[13]  S. Duffy,et al.  Morbidity after sentinel lymph node biopsy in primary breast cancer: results from a randomized controlled trial. , 2005, Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

[14]  Qi Wang,et al.  Properties, and Applications , 2005 .

[15]  Manojit Pramanik,et al.  Sentinel lymph nodes in the rat: noninvasive photoacoustic and US imaging with a clinical US system. , 2010, Radiology.

[16]  R. Cubeddu,et al.  Bulk optical properties and tissue components in the female breast from multiwavelength time-resolved optical mammography. , 2004, Journal of biomedical optics.

[17]  Younan Xia,et al.  Gold Nanocages: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications , 2009 .

[18]  I. Stamenkovic.  Matrix metalloproteinases in tumor invasion and metastasis. , 2000, Seminars in cancer biology.

[19]  Chulhong Kim,et al.  Sentinel lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels: noninvasive dual-modality in vivo mapping by using indocyanine green in rats--volumetric spectroscopic photoacoustic imaging and planar fluorescence imaging. , 2010, Radiology.

[20]  T. Zyung.  Synthesis, Properties, and Applications of Graphene , 2011 .

[21]  P B Cerrito,et al.  Sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer: a suitable alternative to routine axillary dissection in multi-institutional practice when optimal technique is used. , 2000, Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

[22]  Lihong V. Wang,et al.  In vivo dark-field reflection-mode photoacoustic microscopy. , 2005, Optics letters.

[23]  D. Eshima,et al.  Lymphoscintigraphy, the sentinel node concept, and the intraoperative gamma probe in melanoma, breast cancer, and other potential cancers. , 1997, Seminars in nuclear medicine.

[24]  Younan Xia,et al.  Gold Nanocages: A Novel Class of Multifunctional Nanomaterials for Theranostic Applications , 2010, Advanced functional materials.

[25]  Hisataka Kobayashi,et al.  Lymphatic drainage imaging of breast cancer in mice by micro-magnetic resonance lymphangiography using a nano-size paramagnetic contrast agent. , 2004, Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

[26]  Lihong V. Wang,et al.  In vivo photoacoustic tomography of chemicals: high-resolution functional and molecular optical imaging at new depths. , 2010, Chemical reviews.

[27]  S. Moghimi,et al.  Advanced colloid-based systems for efficient delivery of drugs and diagnostic agents to the lymphatic tissues. , 1996, Progress in biophysics and molecular biology.

[28]  M. Sadjadi,et al.  New methylene blue incorporated in mordenite zeolite as humidity sensor material , 2007 .

[29]  Lihong V. Wang,et al.  Deep reflection-mode photoacoustic imaging of biological tissue. , 2007, Journal of biomedical optics.

[30]  N. Hansen,et al.  The benefits and limitations of sentinel lymph node biopsy , 2006, Current treatment options in oncology.

[31]  Liang Song,et al.  Handheld array-based photoacoustic probe for guiding needle biopsy of sentinel lymph nodes. , 2010, Journal of biomedical optics.

[32]  Dong Liang,et al.  Influence of anchoring ligands and particle size on the colloidal stability and in vivo biodistribution of polyethylene glycol-coated gold nanoparticles in tumor-xenografted mice. , 2009, Biomaterials.

[33]  T. Waldmann,et al.  Lymphatic drainage imaging of the breast cancer in mice using the micro-magnetic resonance mammo-lymphangiography using a nano-size contrast agent , 2004 .

[34]  Feng Gao,et al.  In vivo molecular photoacoustic tomography of melanomas targeted by bioconjugated gold nanocages. , 2010, ACS nano.

[35]  S. Stacker,et al.  Lymphatic vessels in cancer metastasis: bridging the gaps. , 2006, Carcinogenesis.

[36]  Younan Xia,et al.  An enzyme-sensitive probe for photoacoustic imaging and fluorescence detection of protease activity. , 2011, Nanoscale.

[37]  Rakesh K Jain,et al.  Lymphatic Metastasis in the Absence of Functional Intratumor Lymphatics , 2002, Science.