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Theranostics 2017; 7(4):962-973. doi:10.7150/thno.19061 This issue Cite
Research Paper
1. Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States.
2. Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, P. R. China.
*These authors contributed equally to this work.
Evading the reticuloendothelial system (RES) remains a critical challenge in the development of efficient delivery and diagnostic systems for cancer. Sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid, Neu5Ac) is recognized as a “self” marker by major serum protein complement factor H and shows reduced interaction with the innate immune system via sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin (Siglec), which is known as one of the significant regulators of phagocytic evasion. Accordingly, we prepared different surface-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and investigated the effects of sialic acid on cellular and immune responses of nanoparticles in vitro and in vivo. Sialic acid modification not only facilitates evasion of the RES by suppressing the immune response, but also enhances tumor accumulation via its active targeting ability. Therefore, sialic acid modification presents a promising strategy to advance nanotechnology towards the prospect of clinical translation.
Keywords: sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid, Neu5Ac), anti-recognition effect, evading phagocytosis, lectin targeting, molecular imaging, positron emission tomography (PET).