Abstract
In clinical practice the imaging of bone tissue is based almost exclusively on x-ray or radiochemical methods. Alternative methods, such as MRI and optical imaging, can provide not only anatomical, but also physiological information, due to their ability to reflect the properties of body fluids (temperature, pH and concentration of ions). In this article we review bone targeting probes for MRI and fluorescence imaging. As bone targeting is mainly associated with phosphonate and bisphosphonate derivatives, we also focus on their sorption behavior. Also discussed in detail is the limitation of using bone-targeting probes for MRI and optical imaging mainly due to their long-time retention in bone tissue and the low permeability of tissues for light.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
Financial support from the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic (No. KAN201110651) and from Long Term Research Plan of the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic (No. MSM0021620857) is acknowledged. This work was carried out in the framework of COST D38 Action (MŠMT OC 179). Vojtech Kubicek wishes to thank to the Ministry of Health (RP MSMT 14/63). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.