Biodistribution of indocyanine green-loaded nanoparticles with surface modifications of PEG and folic acid

Abstract Purpose To establish the biodistribution profile of the PLGA nanoparticles with dual surface modifications of PEG and folic acid (FA) in mice xenografted with MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells with high expression of folate receptor (FR); and to illustrate that the modified nanoparticles can target the loaded indocyanine green (ICG) to the tumor with high FR expression. Methods ICG-loaded nanoparticles were prepared with PLGA (non-modified nanoparticles, NM-NP) or mPEG-PLGA and FA-PLGA (dual modified nanoparticles, DM-NP). Biodistribution of the ICG-loaded nanoparticles (1.25 mg/kg) after i.v. injection was investigated on athymic mice transplanted with MDA-MB-231 tumor. Results ICG concentration in plasma from the DM-NP group was significantly ( p p 0–12 h in plasma by 245% and the AUC 0–12 h in tumor by 194%, while decreased the AUC 0–12 h in liver by 13%. Conclusion The accumulation of DM-NP into the tumor was significantly higher than NM-NP due to the long circulation and FR-mediated uptake.