Noninvasive in vivo imaging of macrophages: understanding tumor microenvironments and delivery of therapeutics
Abstract Macrophages are pivotal in the body’s defense and response to inflammation. They are present in significant numbers and are widely implicated in various diseases, including cancer. While molecular and histological techniques have advanced our understanding of macrophage biology, their preci...
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BMC
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Biomarker Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40364-025-00735-9 |
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| author | Prakash Gangadaran Akanksha Onkar Ramya Lakshmi Rajendran Anshika Goenka Ji Min Oh Fatima Khan ArulJothi Kandasamy Nagarajan Sathish Muthu Anand Krishnan Chae Moon Hong Byeong-Cheol Ahn |
| author_facet | Prakash Gangadaran Akanksha Onkar Ramya Lakshmi Rajendran Anshika Goenka Ji Min Oh Fatima Khan ArulJothi Kandasamy Nagarajan Sathish Muthu Anand Krishnan Chae Moon Hong Byeong-Cheol Ahn |
| author_sort | Prakash Gangadaran |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Macrophages are pivotal in the body’s defense and response to inflammation. They are present in significant numbers and are widely implicated in various diseases, including cancer. While molecular and histological techniques have advanced our understanding of macrophage biology, their precise function within the cancerous microenvironments remains underexplored. Enhancing our knowledge of macrophages and the dynamics of their extracellular vesicles (EVs) in cancer development can potentially improve therapeutic management. Notably, macrophages have also been harnessed to deliver drugs. Noninvasive in vivo molecular imaging of macrophages is crucial for investigating intricate cellular processes, comprehending the underlying mechanisms of diseases, tracking cells and EVs’ migration, and devising macrophage-dependent drug-delivery systems in living organisms. Thus, in vivo imaging of macrophages has become an indispensable tool in biomedical research. The integration of multimodal imaging approaches and the continued development of novel contrast agents hold promise for overcoming current limitations and expanding the applications of macrophage imaging. This study comprehensively reviews several methods for labeling macrophages and various imaging modalities, assessing the merits and drawbacks of each approach. The review concludes by offering insights into the applicability of molecular imaging techniques for real time monitoring of macrophages in preclinical and clinical scenarios. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bba2ad30275642bc97398d3339a8b790 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2050-7771 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomarker Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-bba2ad30275642bc97398d3339a8b7902025-02-02T12:35:27ZengBMCBiomarker Research2050-77712025-01-0113112510.1186/s40364-025-00735-9Noninvasive in vivo imaging of macrophages: understanding tumor microenvironments and delivery of therapeuticsPrakash Gangadaran0Akanksha Onkar1Ramya Lakshmi Rajendran2Anshika Goenka3Ji Min Oh4Fatima Khan5ArulJothi Kandasamy Nagarajan6Sathish Muthu7Anand Krishnan8Chae Moon Hong9Byeong-Cheol Ahn10BK21 FOUR KNU Convergence Educational Program of Biomedical Sciences for Creative Future Talents, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National UniversityDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San FranciscoBK21 FOUR KNU Convergence Educational Program of Biomedical Sciences for Creative Future Talents, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National UniversityDepartment of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory UniversityDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National UniversityDepartment of Cancer Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland ClinicDepartment of Genetic Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Orthopaedics, Government Medical CollegePrecision Medicine and Integrated Nano-Diagnostics (P-MIND) Research Group, Office of the Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free StateDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National UniversityBK21 FOUR KNU Convergence Educational Program of Biomedical Sciences for Creative Future Talents, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National UniversityAbstract Macrophages are pivotal in the body’s defense and response to inflammation. They are present in significant numbers and are widely implicated in various diseases, including cancer. While molecular and histological techniques have advanced our understanding of macrophage biology, their precise function within the cancerous microenvironments remains underexplored. Enhancing our knowledge of macrophages and the dynamics of their extracellular vesicles (EVs) in cancer development can potentially improve therapeutic management. Notably, macrophages have also been harnessed to deliver drugs. Noninvasive in vivo molecular imaging of macrophages is crucial for investigating intricate cellular processes, comprehending the underlying mechanisms of diseases, tracking cells and EVs’ migration, and devising macrophage-dependent drug-delivery systems in living organisms. Thus, in vivo imaging of macrophages has become an indispensable tool in biomedical research. The integration of multimodal imaging approaches and the continued development of novel contrast agents hold promise for overcoming current limitations and expanding the applications of macrophage imaging. This study comprehensively reviews several methods for labeling macrophages and various imaging modalities, assessing the merits and drawbacks of each approach. The review concludes by offering insights into the applicability of molecular imaging techniques for real time monitoring of macrophages in preclinical and clinical scenarios.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40364-025-00735-9In vivo imagingMacrophageTumorsOptical imagingMRIPET |
| spellingShingle | Prakash Gangadaran Akanksha Onkar Ramya Lakshmi Rajendran Anshika Goenka Ji Min Oh Fatima Khan ArulJothi Kandasamy Nagarajan Sathish Muthu Anand Krishnan Chae Moon Hong Byeong-Cheol Ahn Noninvasive in vivo imaging of macrophages: understanding tumor microenvironments and delivery of therapeutics Biomarker Research In vivo imaging Macrophage Tumors Optical imaging MRI PET |
| title | Noninvasive in vivo imaging of macrophages: understanding tumor microenvironments and delivery of therapeutics |
| title_full | Noninvasive in vivo imaging of macrophages: understanding tumor microenvironments and delivery of therapeutics |
| title_fullStr | Noninvasive in vivo imaging of macrophages: understanding tumor microenvironments and delivery of therapeutics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Noninvasive in vivo imaging of macrophages: understanding tumor microenvironments and delivery of therapeutics |
| title_short | Noninvasive in vivo imaging of macrophages: understanding tumor microenvironments and delivery of therapeutics |
| title_sort | noninvasive in vivo imaging of macrophages understanding tumor microenvironments and delivery of therapeutics |
| topic | In vivo imaging Macrophage Tumors Optical imaging MRI PET |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40364-025-00735-9 |
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