Novel Hybrid Dextran-Gadolinium Nanoparticles as High-relaxivity T1 Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agent for Mapping the Sentinel Lymph Node

Objectives To assess the applicability of a novel hybrid dextran-gadolinium nanoparticles (NPs) as high-relaxivity T1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent for mapping the sentinel lymph node (SLN). Methods Dextran-bis-acrylamide-polyacrylic acid (Dex-MBA-PAA) NPs were synthesized through a self-assembly assisted approach and complexed with multiple chelated gadolinium (Gd) (III) ions. After their characterization was validated, they were used to mapping SLNs by MRI in Wistar rats, and their biosafety was evaluated. Results Dextran-MBA-polyacrylic acid-Gd NPs have suitable particle size and much higher longitudinal relaxivity (r1) than that of commonly used clinical MRI contrast agents (eg, gadopentetic acid dimeglumine salt injection). The in vivo T1-weighted MRI results revealed their effectiveness at mapping SLNs. And their biological safety was also verified. Conclusions Dextran-MBA-polyacrylic acid-Gd NPs were synthesized and validated by in vitro and in vivo experiments for their ability to visualize SLNs by MRI with accurate positioning and excellent biosafety, and they have great potential for clinical SLN mapping. Received for publication September 2, 2018; accepted December 10, 2018. Correspondence to: Shengli Li, MD, PhD and Tingting Dai, MD, PhD, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai 200011, People's Republic of China (e-mail: drshenglili@163.com and dtt237000@163.com); Hongjing Dou, PhD, The State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dong Chuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China (e-mail: hjdou@sjtu.edu.cn). This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81371700,81501571). The authors declare no conflict of interest. B.L., H.W., and Q.L. contributed equally to this work. Copyright © 2019 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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