Bisphosphonate-Anchored PEGylation and Radiolabeling of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide: Long-Circulating Nanoparticles for <i>in Vivo</i> Multimodal (T1 MRI-SPECT) Imaging

The efficient delivery of nanomaterials to specific targets for <i>in vivo</i> biomedical imaging is hindered by rapid sequestration by the reticuloendothelial system (RES) and consequent short circulation times. To overcome these two problems, we have prepared a new stealth PEG polymer conjugate containing a terminal 1,1-bisphosphonate (BP) group for strong and stable binding to the surface of ultrasmall-superparamagnetic oxide nanomaterials (USPIOs). This polymer, PEG(5)-BP, can be used to exchange the hydrophobic surfactants commonly used in the synthesis of USPIOs very efficiently and at room temperature using a simple method in 1 h. The resulting nanoparticles, PEG(5)-BP-USPIOs are stable in water or saline for at least 7 months and display a near-zero ζ-potential at neutral pH. The longitudinal (<i>r</i>₁) and transverse (<i>r</i>₂) relaxivities were measured at a clinically relevant magnetic field (3 T), revealing a high <i>r</i>₁ of 9.5 mM^–1 s^–1 and low <i>r</i>₂/<i>r</i>₁ ratio of 2.97, making these USPIOs attractive as T1-weighted MRI contrast agents at high magnetic fields. The strong T1-effect was demonstrated <i>in vivo</i>, revealing that PEG(5)-BP-USPIOs remain in the bloodstream and enhance its signal 6-fold, allowing the visualization of blood vessels and vascular organs with high spatial definition. Furthermore, the optimal relaxivity properties allow us to inject a dose 4 times lower than with other USPIOs. PEG(5)-BP-USPIOs can also be labeled using a radiolabeled-BP for visualization with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and thus affording dual-modality contrast. The SPECT studies confirmed low RES uptake and long blood circulation times (<i>t</i>_1/2 = 2.97 h). These results demonstrate the potential of PEG(5)-BP-USPIOs for the development of targeted multimodal imaging agents for molecular imaging