Inflammatory-targeted iron oxide nanoparticles contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging of atherosclerotic plaques

Motivation: Early-stage and precise identification of atherosclerotic (AS) vulnerable plaques are crucial for the prevention and treatment of acute cardiovascular adiseases. Goal(s): Developing imaging nanoprobes to achieve early, accurate imaging and non-invasive dynamic monitoring of AS plaques. Approach: A targeted probe was constructed by conjugating MT1-AF7p (HWKHLHNTKTFL) to the iron oxide (IO) nanoparticles. AS animal model was established using high-fat diet-fed ApoE-/- mice. The dynamic accumulation of the probe within plaques was monitored at 9.4 T MRI. Results: The specificity of MT1-AF7p@IO nanoprobes to plaques was improved by nearly 2.1 times, and the average retention time was extended from 4 h to 8 h. Impact: This study develops an imaging nanoprobe to enable early, precise imaging and non-invasive dynamic monitoring of the morphology and compositional properties of AS plaques. It has important clinical potential in facilitating early diagnosis, treatment, and therapeutic evaluation of cardiovascular diseases.