Labelling Low Density Lipoprotein with Gold Nanoparticles or Iodine Prevents Uptake in U937 cells

摘要

TCA caused unexpected iodine signal in our control. We found that it is possible to label LDL with iodine or gold nanoparticles at low concentrations (10mg/mL) that are measurable using spectral x-ray imaging. However, labelled LDL did not appear to be taken up by cells. It is worth noting the maximum concentration of LDL that could be added to the cells was 2 mg/mL which is much lower than the 10mg/mL used for the precipitates. It was thought that if the cells had taken up the labelled LDL, there may have been a concentrating effect. It is possible that the modification of LDL means that it is no longer recognised by the LDL receptor on U937 cells or that LDL uptake is severely limited by the number of receptors available. It may be possible to use modified LDL, such as acetylated-LDL or ox-LDL to encourage better uptake of the labelled LDL. Detecting potential foam cells is a difficult task, but may be a useful tool for diagnosing early atherosclerosis.