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A master's thesis from Aalborg University
Book cover


Polymeric micelles as drug delivery system and MRI contrast agent

Translated title

Polymeriske miceller som drug delivery system og MRI contrast stof

Author

Term

4. term

Publication year

2015

Submitted on

Pages

91

Abstract

Specialet undersøger, om små, amfifile polymersfærer kaldet PVP-miceller kan bruges både til at transportere lægemidler og som kontrastmiddel til MR. Amfifil betyder, at materialet har både vand- og fedt-elskende dele, så det selv samler sig til miceller. I dette arbejde blev miceller med en diameter på 30–100 nanometer fremstillet og ladet med curcumin som modellægemiddel. Glioblastom- og fibroblastceller blev udsat for de curcumin-ladede miceller i nærvær af endocytosehæmmerne dynasore og wortmannin, og lægemiddeloptag blev set inden for 5 minutter i alle forsøg. Til billeddannelse blev de curcumin-ladede PVP-miceller funktionaliseret med gadolinium, et metal der ofte bruges som MR-kontrast, og anvendt til in vivo MR-skanninger af hårløse (nude) mus. Et intravaskulært T1-vægtet signal blev målt med cirka halv styrke i forhold til det kommercielle middel Dotarem, der blev brugt som reference. Hos den mus med den stærkeste signalintensitet viste tumor EPR-effekten (øget permeabilitet og retention), påvist ved signalophobning efter 24 timer.

This thesis investigates whether tiny, amphiphilic polymer spheres called PVP micelles can be used both to carry drugs and to act as MRI contrast agents. Amphiphilic means the material has both water-loving and fat-loving parts, allowing it to self-assemble into micelles. In this work, micelles 30–100 nanometres in diameter were produced and loaded with curcumin as a model drug. Glioblastoma and fibroblast cells were exposed to the curcumin-loaded micelles in the presence of the endocytosis inhibitors dynasore and wortmannin, and drug uptake was observed within 5 minutes in all experiments. For imaging, the curcumin-loaded PVP micelles were functionalised with gadolinium, a metal commonly used for MRI contrast, and used for in vivo MRI scans of hairless (nude) mice. An intravascular T1-weighted signal was detected at about half the strength of the commercial agent Dotarem used as a reference. In the mouse with the strongest signal, the tumour showed the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, evidenced by signal accumulation after 24 hours.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]