Nanoparticles made with a shell of silica (SiO2) and a core of radiopaque tantalum oxide (TaOx) are used to make a tissue adhesive and visible to ultrasound, X-ray, and fluorescent imaging.
Researchers at Korea’s Institute for Basic Science and Seoul National University Hospital have designed and tested a glue for binding tissues that also works as a contrast agent for X-rays, CTs, and ultrasound imaging modalities. This is the first such tissue glue to have this set of properties, and, if approved for clinical applications, may end up displacing other adhesives because it can be later easily monitored as to how it’s holding tissues together.
The material is made of nanoparticles that have tantalum oxide at their center, a radiopaque material, and a silica exterior that provides the gluing action.
Tested to exhibit less cellular toxicity than a combination of FDA approved cyanoacrylate, a tissue adhesive, and lipiodol, a radiopaque contrast agent (CA-Lp), the new material was successfully used to repair a damaged liver, and connect moving tissues of the lung and limbs in laboratory animals. Its radiopaque properties were similar to lipiodol and it was about as visible as cyanoacrylate under X-rays.
Nanoparticles made with a shell of silica (SiO2) and a core of radiopaque tantalum oxide (TaOx) are used to make a tissue adhesive and visible to ultrasound, X-ray, and fluorescent imaging.
From Institute for Basic Science:
CA-Lp tends to trigger immune reaction within 3 days from the operation and inflammation after 14-65 days, while experiments showed that TSN did not show such adverse effects after 56 days.
TSNs also ensured accurate target localization during movement; when TSNs were injected in rat’s thigh and calf muscles, they did not move even during the flexion and extension of the leg. “TSNs are well fixed to tissues so that nanoparticles and tissues move in unison.
Here’s a quick video demonstrating the new glue under X-rays:
Study in Nature Communications: Multifunctional nanoparticles as a tissue adhesive and an injectable marker for image-guided procedures…