| 초록 |
Molecular imaging systems have been widely investigated for the diagnosis of liver diseases. Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) are carbon based photostable and biocompatible materials as a promising molecular imaging contrast agent. Because FNDs have negatively charged nitrogen vacancy (NV-) centers, they emit red bright light. In this work, FNDs were conjugated to hyaluronate (HA), which is a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer, and interacts with HA receptors in the liver. The biocompatibility of HA-FND conjugates was verified by the cell viability test. The liver-targeted delivery was confirmed by the cellular uptake test, in vivo imaging system (IVIS) analysis, and biodistribution test in organs. The fluorescent intensity of HA-FND conjugates in the liver was 1.4 times higher than that of FNDs. HA-FND conjugates appeared to be safe in vivo through histological analysis. All these results confirmed the feasibility of HA-FND conjugates as a contrast agent for liver diseases. |
