mPEG-PLGA for MRI contrast agent delivery/cancer theranostic approach

PolySciTech (www.polyscitech.com) provides a wide array of PEG-PLGA block copolymers. Recently these types of polymers have been co-formulated with albumin-gadolinium to generate theranostic nanoparticles for cancer treatment. Read more: Liu, Qiuming, Hongshi Zhu, Jingya Qin, Haiqing Dong, and Jianzhong Du. "Theranostic Vesicles Based on Bovine Serum Albumin and Poly (ethyleneglycol)-block-Poly (L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) for Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Anticancer Drug Delivery." Biomacromolecules (2014). http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/bm500438x

“Presented in this article is the preparation of a new theranostic vesicle which exhibits excellent in vitro and in vivo T1 magnetic resonance (MR) imaging contrast effect and good anticancer drug delivery ability. The theranostic vesicle has been easily prepared based on an amphiphilic biocompatible and biodegradable dibock copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PEG-b-PLGA) and bovine serum albumin-gadolinium (BSA-Gd) complexes. Dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) measurements confirmed the formation and physiological stability of BSA-Gd@PEG-b-PLGA vesicles. Furthermore, the in vitro and in vivo MR imaging experiments revealed their excellent T1-weighted MR imaging function. Red blood cell hemolysis and cytotoxicity experiments confirmed their good blood compatibility and low cytotoxicity. Doxorubicin (DOX) loading and release experiments indicated a more retarded release rate of DOX in those theranostic vesicles than sole PEG-b-PLGA nanoparticles without BSA. Overall, this new biocompatible and biodegradable vesicle shows promising potential in theranostic applications.”