Abstract:
The adhesion of leukocytes to vascular endothelium is a hallmark of the
inflammatory process, which play a crucial role in multiple sclerosis (MS), ischemic
stroke, and HIV-related dementia. Consequently, diagnoses of this activation are
highly desirable. The conventional imaging techniques fail to diagnose the symptom,
due to the weak permeability of the molecules through blood brain barrier (BBB).
Hence, the delivery of imaging molecules across the BBB is still a major challenging
aspect for presymptomatic diagnosis. Herein, we present the design and synthesis
of sulfate-lewisx functionalized nanoparticles that allow direct detection of endothelial
marker E and P-selectin in acute inflammation. We designed silica-coated iron oxide
core, which exhibits superparamagnetic and also provided multiple copies of
carbohydrate to increase the avidity during specific carbohydrate-protein
interactions. Magnetic resonance imaging studies of these nanoparticles are
expected to target E and P selectin in the ischemic brain and potential for translation
into the clinic.
