Figure 3
From: Targeting self-renewal pathways in cancer stem cells: clinical implications for cancer therapy
Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MsnPs) accumulate in the tumors, are biocompatible biodegradable and eliminated through renal excretion. (a) In vivo imaging of mice injected peritumoral with PEI-MSNPs or folate (FA)-MSNPs. Images of the abdominal area demonstrate accumulation of fluorescence in the bladder, and imaging of the dorsal area show accumulation of fluorescence in the tumors. Time lapse imaging of the abdominal area shows elimination of fluorescence within 48 h after injections (number of animals per group, n=4, two tumors per animal). (b) Ex vivo analyses (left) and quantification of fluorescence intensity (right) in organs from mice injected intravenous (i.v.) with FA-MSNPs. Mice were killed 196 h after injection (n=4). Please note the occasional signal from brain tissue, which most likely represents background fluorescence, as it is present also in untreated control animals. (c) Histological analysis of the brain, kidney, spleen, liver and lungs of untreated mice and FA-MSNPs-treated mice showed no morphological changes. Mice were killed 192 h after i.v.injection. (Reproduced with permission from Mamaeva V et al. 2011.)
