METAL OXIDES NANOPARTICLES CONJUGATED WITH NAPHTHALENE DERIVATIVES AS CONTRAST AGENTS FOR THE DETECTION OF BETA AMYLOID PLAQUES BY MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGES

摘要

This invention is directed to metal oxide nanoparticles of the general formula (I) wherein : wherein • R ₁; is an organic coating to the metal oxide core, of polymeric type, catechol derivatives and trialkoxyalkylaminosilane; • R ₂ : -NHCO-alkylenyl-C(0)NH-alkylenyl-R 3; • R ₃ : -COO-, -CO-, -NH, -0-, -S-, -NH-alkylenyl-NH-, -NR ₄-CSS-; • R ₄ : -H, -CH ₃, -CH ₂-CH ₃, -CH ₂CH ₂CH ₃, and • M _x0 _y : iron oxide (Fe ₃O ₄ / gamma Fe ₂0 ₃), gadolinium oxide (III), manganese oxide (II) and copper (II) oxide; wherein the conjugated, functionalized and coated magnetic nanoparticle is capable of, when it is administered to a mammal, crossing the blood-brain barrier and specifically binding to the agglomerates and amyloid plaques present in brain tissue, and wherein with this nanoparticle bound to the agglomerates and beta- amyloid plaques in the brain tissue, hypo- or hyper-intense signals are observed in the region of interest through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The nanoparticles of formula I are capable of acting as positive (T1) and/or negative (T2) contrast agents for MRI for the early and non-