Approach to Chelating Radioactivity using Carbon Dots for Positron Emission Tomography Imaging

Area of Science:

• Radiochemistry
• Nanomedicine
• Biomedical Imaging

Background:

• Radiotheranostics require stable radiometal complexes.
• Carbon dots (CDs) offer a potential solution for radiometal encapsulation challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate carbon dots (CDs) as a stable platform for radiometal encapsulation.
• To enhance tumor targeting of radiometal-labeled agents using nanocarrier strategies.

Main Methods:

• Encapsulation of radioactive copper-64 (⁶⁴Cu) within carbon dots (CDs).
• Utilized PEGylated liposomes and reticuloendothelial system blocking with DOTAP liposomes to improve tumor delivery.
• Evaluated ⁶⁴Cu@C, ⁶⁴Cu@C-PEGLipo, and DOTAPLipo-preinjected-⁶⁴Cu@C in tumor-bearing rodent models using PET imaging.

Main Results:

• CDs effectively encapsulated ⁶⁴Cu with minimal leakage.
• Initial ⁶⁴Cu@C showed predominant liver uptake.
• PEGylated liposomes and DOTAP liposome preinjection increased tumor uptake by 1.7-fold and 2.5-fold, respectively.

Conclusions:

• Carbon dots provide a robust platform for stable radiometal complexation.
• Liposome-based strategies significantly improve tumor-specific delivery of radiometal agents.
• This approach holds promise for advancing radiotheranostic applications.