Gold nanoparticles meet medical radionuclides

Thanks to their unique optical and physicochemical properties, gold nanoparticles have gained increased interest as radiosensitizing, photothermal therapy and optical imaging agents to enhance the effectiveness of cancer detection and therapy. Furthermore, their ability to carry multiple medically relevant radionuclides broadens their use to nuclear medicine SPECT and PET imaging as well as targeted radionuclide therapy. In this review, we discuss the radiolabeling process of gold nanoparticles and their use in (multimodal) nuclear medicine imaging to better understand their specific distribution, uptake and retention in different in vivo cancer models. In addition, radiolabeled gold nanoparticles enable image-guided therapy is reviewed aswell as the enhancement of targeted radionuclide therapy and nanobrachytherapy through an increased dose deposition and radiosensitization, as demonstrated by multiple Monte Carlo studies and experimental in vitro and in vivo studies. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Automated summary

Gold nanoparticles have unique optical and physicochemical properties that make them promising agents for radiosensitizing, photothermal therapy, and optical imaging in cancer detection and therapy. Their ability to carry multiple radionuclides expands their use in nuclear medicine imaging and targeted radionuclide therapy, enabling image-guided therapy and enhancing dose deposition and radiosensitivity for improved cancer treatment outcomes. Multiple studies have demonstrated the potential of radiolabeled gold nanoparticles in multimodal nuclear medicine imaging and therapy.