Radiopaque hydrogel-in-liposomes towards theranostic applications for malignant tumors

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Radiology

Background:

• Developing effective tumor theranostics requires systems for simultaneous imaging and drug delivery.
• Conventional liposomes often lack sufficient tumor targeting and imaging capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a radiopaque hydrogel-in-liposome (RHL) system for micro-computed tomography (μCT) imaging and targeted delivery of cytotoxic agents.
• To evaluate the RHL system's efficacy in tumor imaging and anti-cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of RHLs incorporating iopamidol (IPD) for CT contrast and doxorubicin (DOX) as a cytotoxic agent.
• Characterization of RHLs using spectroscopy, size analysis, and zeta potential measurements.
• In vitro cellular uptake studies in SCCVII cells and in vivo studies in SCCVII tumor-xenografted mice.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized nano-sized (∼160 nm) spherical DOX/IPD-loaded RHLs with narrow size distribution and negative zeta potential.
• RHLs demonstrated enhanced cellular uptake of DOX via clathrin-mediated endocytosis and pH-dependent drug release.
• In vivo studies showed improved CT contrast efficiency, enhanced anti-tumor efficacy, and systemic biocompatibility due to tumor targeting.

Conclusions:

• The RHL system is a viable nano-platform for combined tumor imaging and therapy.
• Enhanced tumor targeting contributes to improved theranostic outcomes.
• RHLs offer a promising approach for advanced cancer theranostics.