Abstract
Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is a powerful tool for visualizing the vascular systems of tissues, organs, or entire small animals. Vascular contrast agents play a vital role in micro-CT imaging in order to obtain clear and high-quality images. In this study, a new kind of nanostructured barium phosphate was fabricated and used as a contrast agent for ex vivo micro-CT imaging of blood vessels in the mouse brain. Nanostructured barium phosphate was synthesized through a simple wet precipitation method using Ba(NO3)2, and (NH4)2HPO4 as starting materials. The physiochemical properties of barium phosphate were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermal analysis. Furthermore, the impact of the produced nanostructures on cell viability was evaluated via the MTT assay, which generally showed low to moderate cytotoxicity. Finally, the animal test images demonstrated that the use of nanostructured barium phosphate as a contrast agent in Micro-CT imaging produced sharp images with excellent contrast. Both major vessels and the microvasculature were clearly observable in the imaged mouse brain. Overall, the results indicate that nanostructured barium phosphate is a potential and useful vascular contrast agent for micro-CT imaging.
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Acknowledgments
This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51373099), and the Interdisciplinary Foundation of Medical and Engineering (or Science) of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (YG2009MS48), and the China National Funds for Distinguished Young Scientists (21025417), and the 973 Program of NBRP (2010CB834306, GYY, YW). The first two authors contribute equally to the study.
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Zhu, B., Yuan, F., Yuan, X. et al. Synthesis of nanostructured barium phosphate and its application in micro-computed tomography of mouse brain vessels in ex vivo. J Nanopart Res 16, 2279 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-014-2279-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-014-2279-4