Unmodified titanium dioxide nanoparticles as a potential contrast agent in photon emission computed tomography

• Main Authors: Khalid, Awais, Ahmad, Pervaiz, Alharthi, Abdulrahman I., Muhammad, Saleh, Khandaker, Mayeen Uddin, Iqbal Faruque, Mohammad Rashed, Din, Israf Ud, Alotaibi, Mshari A.
• Format: Article
• Published: MDPI 2021
• Subjects: QC Physics
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/34098/

Highly crystalline titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) are synthesized via a simple hydrothermal technique. After structural and compositional analysis, the as-synthesized unmodified TiO2-NPs are tested for improvement in two modes of kilovoltage radiation therapy and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT). Our results show that the unmodified TiO2-NPs provide an observable enhancement in CT scan image contrast ranging from 0 +/- 3 HU (without NPs) to 283.7 +/- 3 HU (0.23 g/mL). TiO2-NPs has excellent biocompatibility, selective uptake at target sites, and reduced toxicity. The unmodified TiO2-NPs as a contrast agent can significantly improve the existing methods of diagnosing and treating cancer.