Researchers discovered that using gold nanoparticles as a contrast agent in X-ray imaging of the kidneys could provide more accurate detection of kidney disease compared to conventional blood tests.
In a publication dated July 29 in Advanced Materials, researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas revealed that X-ray imaging of kidneys with gold nanoparticles may be a more precise method for identifying kidney disease than traditional laboratory blood evaluations. Their study on mice also indicated that caution is necessary when considering renal-clearable nanomedicines for patients with impaired kidney function.
Doctors typically evaluate a patient’s kidney health before giving renal-clearable medications by measuring their blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) levels. As engineered nanoparticles are increasingly used to deliver medications or imaging agents within the body, it is crucial to understand how kidney injury affects the distribution and clearance of these nanoparticles. Are traditional markers such as BUN and Cr reliable in forecasting how these nanoparticles will traverse the kidneys?
In their study, the UT Dallas team found that in mice with severely damaged kidneys due to cisplatin treatment—where BUN and Cr levels reached ten times the normal range—the movement of nanoparticles through the kidneys was notably delayed, resulting in prolonged retention within the kidneys.
Conversely, in cases of mild kidney injury, with BUN and Cr levels elevated only four to five times above normal, the movement and retention of gold nanoparticles could not be reliably predicted by these tests.
However, the accumulation of gold nanoparticles visible in X-ray images exhibited a strong correlation with the extent of kidney damage.
“Our results underline the importance of being careful when employing these advanced therapies in patients with affected kidneys, but they also point to the potential of gold nanoparticles as a noninvasive method for assessing kidney damage via X-ray imaging or other techniques linked to gold accumulation in the kidneys,” explained Dr. Mengxiao Yu, a corresponding author of the study and a research associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
Xuhui Ning, an expert in chemistry and biochemistry, is the principal author of the research, with Dr. Jie Zheng, a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry, serving as a corresponding author as well. Additional contributors are affiliated with UT Southwestern Medical Center and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The research received funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (R01DK124881, R01DK115986, R01DK103363), as well as the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (RP200233).
