Figure 1: Schematic Overview of Experimental Procedures.

Mice were subjected to 45 minutes of cardiac ischemia, followed by reperfusion for 30 minutes. PEG modified polystyrene nanoparticles (core diameters 20 nm–2 μm) were then injected by tail vein and allowed to circulate for 30 minutes. Animals were perfused with 50 ml heparinized saline before organs, including the heart, were collected. Nanoparticle retention was then quantified by HPLC and the locations of nanoparticles within the heart were visualized by immunofluorescence imaging.