Someday, advanced imaging methods could be enhanced by unique nanoparticles. These special nanoparticles, created by scientists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), transform in response to heat.
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Published in the journal “Chemical Communications”, the scientists state that the particles could be employed in photoacoustic imaging to create high-resolution, three-dimensional interior images of the human body when paired with an integrated dye.
The scientists created single-chain nanoparticles, or SCNPs for short, which are three to five nanometers in size and consist of a single molecular chain. These small capsules can be filled with dyes.
Our SCNPs have unique thermoresponsive properties as their structure changes when exposed to heat. Depending on the temperature, the particles can take on a compact or open structure. The behavior of the encapsulated substances also changes.
Wolfgang Binder, Professor, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Binder co-led the study with Jan Laufer, a medical physics professor, and Karsten Mäder, a pharmacist.
The scientists integrated unique dyes into the SNCPs for the study, which could one day be employed in photoacoustic imaging. Laser pulses are focused on the tissue under examination in this procedure. The light’s energy is transformed into ultrasonic waves, the tissue warms up, and the nanoparticles’ characteristics change.
Blood vessel networks can be primarily seen in three-dimensional images produced when ultrasonic waves are monitored externally to the body. The particles, according to the researchers, produce a rich visual contrast that could be utilized to more closely inspect tumors, for example.
To learn more about if and how the particles act in the human body, the researchers also looked at how the particles performed in cell cultures. If the particles are to be employed in biological applications, this is crucial. In every test the unique particles were put through, they did exceedingly well.
Binder concluded, “Our work is an important step in the development of thermoresponsive SCNPs, which could improve the accuracy and precision of diagnostic imaging.”
The German Research Foundation provided funding for this study.
Journal Reference:
Thümmler, J. F., et al. (2023) Thermoresponsive swelling of photoacoustic single-chain nanoparticles. Chemical Communications. doi:10.1039/D3CC03851C.
Source: http://www.uni-halle.de/
