Now, however, scientists have found that gold nanoparticles combined with X-ray imaging could provide a more effective way of measuring the function than standard blood tests. This new methodology has the potential to… revolutionize kidney health care.
Limitations of Blood Tests
One changed that, including by measuring blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) levels. Yet researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas have discovered that these tests may not always provide an accurate prediction for how nanoparticles, which are being developed to treat medical conditions, will travel through the kidneys.
To explore the effect of severe kidney injury on kidney-clearable nanoparticles, this study was established to determine their movement and retention in mice with severely injured kidneys (with more than a 10-fold increase of BUN and Cr levels above normal), we found that such a design indeed significantly slowed down the movement and retardation of nanoparticles in those severely injured kidneys. This could mean that the standard biomarkers reflects conventional kidney function poorly in the face of these burgeoning new treatments.
Using Nanoparticles for Diagnosis
The presence of gold nanopar-ticle accumulation seen on X-rays correlated well with kidney damage, even in animals with only mild increases in BUN and Cr levels. The discovery demonstrates the potential utility of nanoparticles as a non-invasive tool for evaluating kidney injuries.
Doctors use awareness of the movement and retention of nanoparticles in the kidneys through X-ray imaging. This may manage the course of drug delivery and reflect the short- or long-term effect of a therapy, especially for renal-clearable nanomedicines.
Conclusion
Among other things, the results of this study offer hope that nanoparticle-based imaging might be more accurate and thorough way to assess kidney function than regular blood tests. This novel approach may have important applications to the treatment of human kidney disease and the design of safe nanotherapeutics. This research builds on the prevalent use of engineered nanoparticles in medical treatments by raising questions about how they interact with our kidneys and if these particles could be used to diagnose disease.
