Laser-Ablated Gold Nanoparticles as Tunable Contrast Agents for Preclinical Imaging.

ABSTRACT: Femtosecond laser-ablated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) offer a unique platform for developing novel cost-effective contrast agents due to their ultraclean, surfactant-free synthesis and precisely tunable surface properties. This study developed three computed tomography (CT) contrast agents from a single stock solution of laser-ablated AuNPs, functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG-2kDa, PEG-4kDa), or lipoic acid with bovine serum albumin (BSA). The primary objective was to evaluate the safety and functional efficacy of these coated AuNPs in healthy and tumor-bearing mice. After a single intravenous injection (690 ± 30 mg Au/kg), all formulations were well tolerated with no acute toxicity observed. PEGylated AuNPs demonstrated long blood half-life (18 ± 2 h for PEG-2kDa; 37 ± 2 h for PE

SUBMITTER: Finogenova Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12736187 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature