Sub-10 nm Radiolabeled Barium Sulfate Nanoparticles as Carriers for Theranostic Applications and Targeted Alpha Therapy


Sub-10 nm Radiolabeled Barium Sulfate Nanoparticles as Carriers for Theranostic Applications and Targeted Alpha Therapy

Reissig, F.; Zarschler, K.; Hübner, R.; Pietzsch, H.-J.; Kopka, K.; Mamat, C.

The treatment of patients suffering from cancer with α-particle-emitting therapeutics continues to receive increasing interest. The range of radiopharmaceutically relevant α-emitters is limited to only a few radionuclides (e.g. actinium-225 and bismuth-213) as stable chelators or carrier systems for safe transport of the radioactive cargo are often lacking. Encapsulation of α-emitters into solid inorganic systems can help to diversify the portfolio of candidate radionuclides, providing that these nanomaterials effectively retain both the parent and the recoil daughters. We therefore focus on the design of stable and defined nanocarrier-based systems for various radionuclides including the promising α-emitting radionuclide radium-224. Hence, we report on the synthesis of sub-10 nm alendronate-functionalized barium sulfate nanoparticles, into whose matrix different radiometals including zirconium-89, indium-111, barium-131, barium-133, lutetium-177 and radium-224 were stably incorporated with appropriate yields. Our delivery systems show stabilities of g.t. 90% up to seven days regarding the radiometal release from the BaSO4 matrix. Furthermore, radium-224-labeled particles possess stabilities of 80% regarding the decay chain product lead-212. In fact, the majority of nanoparticles withstand the α-recoil and keeps the daughter radionuclides trapped. Noteworthy, due to the accessibility of reactive alendronate amine groups on their surface, it is possible to further modify this functionalized inorganic system by common amine-coupling strategies as exemplified herein by conjugation of fluorescein isothiocyanate. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibit some degree of nonspecific protein binding upon exposure to human serum, offering the possibility to add beneficial properties of a protein corona to the intrinsic features of the nanosystem.

Keywords: radium; alpha therapy; nanoparticle; delivery system

Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-30591
Publ.-Id: 30591