Peptide-functionalized gadolinium liposomes enable HER2-targeted molecular MRI of breast cancer.
7 affiliations
- 1Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council (CNR) Via De Amicis, 95 80145 Naples Italy.
- 2IRCCS SYNLAB SDN Via G. Ferraris 144 80146 Naples Italy.
- 3Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Crystallography Via Vivaldi, 43 81100 Caserta Italy.
- 4CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate Franco Salvatore Via Gaetano Salvatore 486 80145 Naples Italy.
- 5Department of Pharmacy, Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca sui Peptidi Bioattivi "Carlo Pedone" (CIRPeB), University of Naples "Federico II" Via Tommaso de Amicis 95 80131 Naples Italy.
- 6Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II Via Delpino 1 80137 Naples Italy [email protected].
- 7Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council (CNR) Via P. Castellino, 111 80131 Naples Italy [email protected].
Abstract
Targeted molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of HER2-positive breast cancer remains challenging because of the limited sensitivity of conventional gadolinium-based contrast agents. Herein, we developed multifunctional gadolinium-loaded liposomes functionalized with A9-derived HER2-targeting peptides to achieve selective tumor recognition and enhanced MRI performance. The liposomes exhibited good colloidal stability, enhanced relaxivity compared with free Gd-DTPA, and negligible cytotoxicity. Surface functionalization significantly increased binding to HER2-overexpressing BT-474 cells, with peptide-functionalized liposomes showing the highest affinity. In a preliminary HER2-positive breast cancer xenograft model, peptide-targeted liposomes showed tumor uptake and sustained MRI contrast enhancement, whereas non-functionalized liposomes showed lower tumour contrast enhancement. These preliminary observations support further investigation of peptide-functionalized gadolinium liposomes as a promising molecular MRI platform for HER2-targeted imaging and future theranostic applications.
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BibTeX
@article{monti2026peptidefunctionalized,
title = {{Peptide-functionalized gadolinium liposomes enable HER2-targeted molecular MRI of breast cancer.}},
author = {Serena Monti and Enrico Gallo and Ylenia Ferrara and Valentina Verdoliva and Luca Licenziato and Cristina Terlizzi and Annachiara Sarnella and Sandra Albanese and Carmen Avagliano and Antonella Accardo and Adelaide Greco and Stefania De Luca},
journal = {Nanoscale advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1039/d6na00729e},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42921217},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Peptide-functionalized gadolinium liposomes enable HER2-targeted molecular MRI of breast cancer.
AU - Serena Monti
AU - Enrico Gallo
AU - Ylenia Ferrara
AU - Valentina Verdoliva
AU - Luca Licenziato
AU - Cristina Terlizzi
AU - Annachiara Sarnella
AU - Sandra Albanese
AU - Carmen Avagliano
AU - Antonella Accardo
AU - Adelaide Greco
AU - Stefania De Luca
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - Nanoscale advances
DO - 10.1039/d6na00729e
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42921217
AB - Targeted molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of HER2-positive breast cancer remains challenging because of the limited sensitivity of conventional gadolinium-based contrast agents. Herein, we developed multifunctional gadolinium-loaded liposomes functionalized with A9-derived HER2-targeting peptides to achieve selective tumor recognition and enhanced MRI performance. The liposomes exhibited good colloidal stability, enhanced relaxivity compared with free Gd-DTPA, and negligible cytotoxicity. Surface functionalization significantly increased binding to HER2-overexpressing BT-474 cells, with peptide-functionalized liposomes showing the highest affinity. In a preliminary HER2-positive breast cancer xenograft model, peptide-targeted liposomes showed tumor uptake and sustained MRI contrast enhancement, whereas non-functionalized liposomes showed lower tumour contrast enhancement. These preliminary observations support further investigation of peptide-functionalized gadolinium liposomes as a promising molecular MRI platform for HER2-targeted imaging and future theranostic applications.
SN - 2516-0230
ER -