Engineering Novel Targeted Boron-10-Enriched Theranostic Nanomedicine to Combat against Murine Brain Tumors via MR Imaging-Guided Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a very common type of "incurable" malignant brain tumor. Although many treatment options are currently available, most of them eventually fail due to its recurrence. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) emerges as an alternative noninvasive therapeutic treatment modality. The major challenge in treating GBMs using BNCT is to achieve selective imaging, targeting, and sufficient accumulation of boron-containing drug at the tumor site so that effective destruction of tumor cells can be achieved without harming the normal brain cells. To tackle this challenge, this study demonstrates for the first time that an unprecedented ¹⁰B-enriched (96% ¹⁰B enrichment) boron nanoparticle nanomedicine (¹⁰BSGRF NPs) surface-modified with a Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled RGD-K peptide can pass through the brain blood barrier, selectively target at GBM brain tumor sites, and deliver high therapeutic dosage (50.5 µg ¹⁰B g⁻¹ cells) of boron atoms to tumor cells with a good tumor-to-blood boron ratio of 2.8. The ¹⁰BSGRF NPs not only can enhance the contrast of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to help diagnose the location/size/progress of brain tumor, but also effectively suppress murine brain tumors via MR imaging-guided BNCT, prolonging the half-life of mice from 22 d (untreated group) to 39 d.

For the first time, an unprecedented ¹⁰B-enriched boron nanoparticle-based theranostic nanomedicine (¹⁰BSGRF NPs) is used to surpass the brain blood barrier and selectively target and effectively destroy murine brain tumors via magnetic resonance imaging-guided boron neutron capture therapy.

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