1. Enhanced intratumoral uptake of quantum dots concealed within hydrogel nanoparticles
- Author
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Zhibing Hu, Ling Zou, Jinhui Shen, Tong Cai, Liping Tang, Paul Thevenot, and Ashwin Nair
- Subjects
Tumor imaging ,Materials science ,Mechanical Engineering ,Melanoma ,technology, industry, and agriculture ,Normal tissue ,Nanoparticle ,Bioengineering ,Tumor cells ,Nanotechnology ,General Chemistry ,medicine.disease ,Tumor tissue ,Mechanics of Materials ,Quantum dot ,Drug delivery ,Biophysics ,medicine ,General Materials Science ,Electrical and Electronic Engineering - Abstract
Effective nanomedical devices for tumor imaging and drug delivery are not yet available. In an attempt to construct a more functional device for tumor imaging, we have embedded quantum dots (which have poor circulatory behavior) within hydrogel nanoparticles made of poly-N-isopropylacrylamide. We found that the hydrogel encapsulated quantum dots are more readily taken up by cultured tumor cells. Furthermore, in a melanoma model, hydrogel encapsulated quantum dots also preferentially accumulate in the tumor tissue compared with normal tissue and have ∼16-fold greater intratumoral uptake compared to non-derivatized quantum dots. Our results suggest that these derivatized quantum dots, which have greatly improved tumor localization, may enhance cancer monitoring and chemotherapy.
- Published
- 2011