Molecular Nanomedicine Towards Cancer: 111In-Labeled Nanoparticles

Nanomedicine is the medical application of materials, devices, or systems in the nanometer scale and is currently undergoing explosive development. Molecular imaging of cancer using nanosized materials comprises an important part in diagnosis, therapy, and drug discovery in medical nanosciences. Radiopharmaceuticals are a key tool of molecular imaging in the field of nuclear medicine. The in vivo administration of radiolabeled nanoparticles (NPs) can provide an accurate biodistribution profile of the nanoformulations, as well as visualization of their route in vivo. Surface modifications of NPs with antibodies, peptides, or other small molecules that bind to tumor cell receptors have resulted in the development of sensitive and specific targeted imaging and diagnostic modalities for in vitro and in vivo applications. Radiometals are the most favorable of all radionuclides for labeling applications and they have the most suitable properties for single-photon emission computed tomography imaging. Indium-111 (111In), specifically, is a readily available gamma-emitting radiometal, which is widely used in clinical practice for diagnosis and/or therapy. Herein, we will overview the latest evolvement on 111In-labeled nanoparticles for biodistribution assessment and/or imaging evaluation of nanocarriers, as well as therapy in cancer. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.