Resonance Light Scattering Imaging Determination of Heparin

Light scattering submicroscopic particles such as metallic particles and particles of other composition have high-producing power and can be used as fluorescent analogs and tracers labels in clinical and biological applications1-3. Their light scattering …     

Imaging Mass Spectrometry: Hype or Hope?

Label-free imaging mass spectrometry provides a new look into different research areas. Will chemical mass microscopy on a biological system move from hype to hope?

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Studies on Hepatocyte-Targeting Magnetic Resonance Imaging Macromolecular Contrast Media

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Imaging Array SPR Biosensor Immunoassays for Sulfamethoxazole and Sulfamethazine

A homemade array surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based imaging biosensor was used to develop sensitive and fast immunoassays to determine sulfamethoxazole (SMOZ) and sulfamethazine (SMT) in buffer. Two conjugations of sulfonamide-bovine serum albumin (BSA) were separately immobilized on two different rows of the array chip with one row as reference. The immobilization was carried out in the instrument to monitor the quantity of the conjugations immobilized. The antibody mixed with the sulfonamide in the buffer was injected over the surface of the chip to get a relative response which was inversely proportional to the concentration of the sulfonamide in the PBS buffer. Two calibration curves were constructed and the limit of detection for sufamethoxazole in buffer was 3.5 ng/mL and for sulfamethazine 0.6 ng/mL. The stability and specificity of the antibody were also studied. The monoclonal antibody did not bind with BSA.     

NIR-II Chemiluminescence Molecular Sensor for In Vivo High-Contrast Inflammation Imaging

Chemiluminescence (CL) sensing without external excitation by light and autofluorescence interference has been applied to high-contrast in vitro immunoassays and in vivo inflammation and tumor microenvironment detection. However, conventional CL sensing usually operates in the range of 400–850 nm, which limits the performance of in vivo imaging due to serious light scattering effects and signal attenuation in tissue. To address this challenge, a new type of CL sensor is presented that functions in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II CLS) with a deep penetration depth (≈8 mm). Successive CL resonance energy transfer (CRET) and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the activated CL substrate to two rationally designed donor-acceptor-donor fluorophores BTD540 and BBTD700 occurs. NIR-II CLS can be selectively activated by hydrogen peroxide over other reactive oxygen species (ROSs). Moreover, NIR-II CLS is capable of detecting local inflammation in mice with a 4.5-fold higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than that under the NIR-II fluorescence modality.     

Designing Sub-2 nm Organosilica Nanohybrids for Far-Field Super-Resolution Imaging

Stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy enables ultrastructural imaging of biological samples with high spatiotemporal resolution. STED nanoprobes based on fluorescent organosilica nanohybrids featuring sub-2 nm size and near-unity quantum yield are presented. The spin–orbit coupling (SOC) of heavy-atom-rich organic fluorophores is mitigated through a silane-molecule-mediated condensation/dehalogenation process, resulting in bright fluorescent organosilica nanohybrids with multiple emitters in one hybrid nanodot. When harnessed as STED nanoprobes, these fluorescent nanohybrids show intense photoluminescence, high biocompatibility, and long-term photostability. Taking advantage of the low-power excitation (0.5 μW), prolonged singlet-state lifetime, and negligible depletion-induced re-excitation, these STED nanohybrids present high depletion efficiency (>96 %), extremely low saturation intensity (0.54 mW, ca. 0.188 MW cm⁻²), and ultra-high lateral resolution (ca. λ_em/28).     

Pre-targeted Imaging of Protease Activity through In Situ Assembly of Nanoparticles

The pre-targeted imaging of enzyme activity has not been reported, likely owing to the lack of a mechanism to retain the injected substrate in the first step for subsequent labeling. Herein, we report the use of two bioorthogonal reactions—the condensation reaction of aromatic nitriles and aminothiols and the inverse-electron demand Diels–Alder reaction between tetrazine and trans-cyclooctene (TCO)—to develop a novel strategy for pre-targeted imaging of the activity of proteases. The substrate probe ( TCO-C-SNAT4 ) can be selectively activated by an enzyme target (e.g. caspase-3/7), which triggers macrocyclization and subsequent in situ self-assembly into nanoaggregates retained at the target site. The tetrazine-imaging tag conjugate labels TCO in the nanoaggregates to generate selective signal retention for imaging in vitro, in cells, and in mice. Owing to the decoupling of enzyme activation and imaging tag immobilization, TCO-C-SNAT4 can be repeatedly injected to generate and accumulate more TCO-nanoaggregates for click labeling.     

Ir(Ⅲ)-based Ratiometric Hypoxic Probe for Cell Imaging

Two new ratiometric hypoxia probes(Ir-C343 and Ir-GFP) are synthesized by covalently incorporating florescent internal standard molecules coumarin 343(C343) and green fluorescent protein(GFP) into bis[1-(9,9-dimethyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)-isoquinoline](succinylacetone)Ir(Ⅲ)(Ir-fliq), respectively. After connecting with internal standard molecules, the Ir-fliq moiety still exhibits high sensitivity to oxygen concentration, while the fluorescence intensity of the internal standard remains relatively co...     

Imaging with mass spectrometry: Which ionization technique is best?

The use of mass spectrometry (MS) to acquire molecular images of biological tissues and other substrates has developed into an indispensable analytical tool over the past 25 years. Imaging mass spectrometry technologies are widely used today to study the in situ spatial distributions for a variety of analytes. Early MS images were acquired using secondary ion mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization. Researchers have also designed and developed other ionization techniques in recent years to probe surfaces and generate MS images, including desorption electrospray ionization (DESI), nanoDESI, laser ablation electrospray ionization, and infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization. Investigators now have a plethora of ionization techniques to select from when performing imaging mass spectrometry experiments. This brief perspective will highlight the utility and relative figures of merit of these techniques within the context of their use in imaging mass spectrometry.     

Elastic Polymer Coated Nanoparticles with Fast Clearance for 19F MR Imaging

¹⁹F magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful molecular imaging technique that enables high-resolution imaging of deep tissues without background signal interference. However, the use of nanoparticles (NPs) as ¹⁹F MRI probes has been limited by the immediate trapping and accumulation of stiff NPs, typically of around 100 nm in size, in the mononuclear phagocyte system, particularly in the liver. To address this issue, elastic nanomaterials have emerged as promising candidates for improving delivery efficacy in vivo. Nevertheless, the impact of elasticity on NP elimination has remained unclear due to the lack of suitable probes for real-time and long-term monitoring. In this study, we present the development of perfluorocarbon-encapsulated polymer NPs as a novel ¹⁹F MRI contrast agent, with the aim of suppressing long-term accumulation. The polymer NPs have high elasticity and exhibit robust sensitivity in ¹⁹F MRI imaging. Importantly, our ¹⁹F MRI data demonstrate a gradual decline in the signal intensity of the polymer NPs after administration, which contrasts starkly with the behavior observed for stiff silica NPs. This innovative polymer-coated NP system represents a groundbreaking nanomaterial that successfully overcomes the challenges associated with long-term accumulation, while enabling tracking of biodistribution over extended periods.     

An Activatable NIR-II Fluorescent Reporter for In Vivo Imaging of Amyloid-β Plaques

Fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window holds great promise for in vivo visualization of amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology, which can facilitate characterization and deep understanding of Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, it has been rarely exploited. Herein, we report the development of NIR-II fluorescent reporters with a donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) architecture for specific detection of Aβ plaques in AD-model mice. Among all the designed probes, DMP2 exhibits the highest affinity to Aβ fibrils and can specifically activate its NIR-II fluorescence after binding to Aβ fibrils via suppressed twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) effect. With suitable lipophilicity for ideal blood–brain barrier (BBB) penetrability and deep-tissue penetration of NIR-II fluorescence, DMP2 possesses specific detection of Aβ plaques in in vivo AD-model mice. Thus, this study presents a potential agent for non-invasive imaging of Aβ plaques and deep deciphering of AD progression.     

Tetrazine Carbon Nanotubes for Pretargeted In Vivo “Click-to-Release” Bioorthogonal Tumour Imaging

The bioorthogonal inverse-electron-demand Diels–Alder (IEDDA) cleavage reaction between tetrazine and trans-cyclooctene (TCO) is a powerful way to control the release of bioactive agents and imaging probes. In this study, a pretargeted activation strategy using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) that bear tetrazines (TZ@SWCNTs) and a TCO-caged molecule was used to deliver active effector molecules. To optimize a turn-on signal by using in vivo fluorescence imaging, we developed a new fluorogenic near-infrared probe that can be activated by bioorthogonal chemistry and image tumours in mice by caging hemicyanine with TCO (tHCA). With our pretargeting strategy, we have shown selective doxorubicin prodrug activation and instantaneous fluorescence imaging in living cells. By combining a tHCA probe and a pretargeted bioorthogonal approach, real-time, non-invasive tumour visualization with a high target-to-background ratio was achieved in a xenograft mice tumour model. The combined advantages of enhanced stability, kinetics and biocompatibility, and the superior pharmacokinetics of tetrazine-functionalised SWCNTs could allow application of targeted bioorthogonal decaging approaches with minimal off-site activation of fluorophore/drug.     

Biomedical X-ray Imaging Enabled by Carbon Nanotube X-ray Sources?

Although discovered more than 100 years ago, X-ray source technology has evolved rather slowly. The recent invention of the carbon nanotube (CNT) X-ray source technology holds great promise to revolutionize the field of biomedical X-ray imaging. CNT X-ray sources have been successfully adapted to several biomedical imaging applications including dynamic micro-CT of small animals and stationary breast tomosynthesis of breast cancers. Yet their more important biomedical imaging applications still lie ahead in the future, with the development of stationary multi-source CT as a noteworthy example.     

A Systematic Study of Coumarin–Tetrazine Light-Up Probes for Bioorthogonal Fluorescence Imaging

Fluorescent probes that light-up upon reaction with complementary bioorthogonal reagents are superior tools for no-wash fluorogenic bioimaging applications. In this work, a thorough study is presented on a set of seventeen structurally diverse coumarin–tetrazine probes that produce fluorescent dyes with exceptional turn-on ratios when reacted with trans-cyclooctene (TCO) and bicyclononyne (BCN) dienophiles. In general, formation of the fully aromatic pyridazine-containing dyes resulting from the reaction with BCN was found superior in terms of fluorogenicity. However, evaluation of the probes in cellular imaging experiments revealed that other factors, such as reaction kinetics and good cell permeability, prevail over the fluorescence turn-on properties. The best compound identified in this study showed excellent performance in live cell-labeling experiments and enabled no-wash fluorogenic imaging on a timescale of seconds.     

Dual Fluorescent- and Isotopic-Labelled Self-Assembling Vancomycin for in vivo Imaging of Bacterial Infections

The increase of bacterial resistance demands rapid and accurate diagnosis of bacterial infections. Biosurface-induced supramolecular assembly for diagnosis and therapy has received little attention in detecting bacterial infections. Herein we present a dual fluorescent-nuclear probe based on self-assembly of vancomycin (Van) on Gram-positive bacteria for imaging bacterial infection. A Van- and rhodamine-modified peptide derivative (Rho-FF-Van), as the imaging agent, binds to the terminal peptide of the methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and self-assembles to form nanoaggregates on the surface of MRSA. In an in vivo myositis model, Rho-FF-Van results in a significant increased fluorescence signal at the MRSA infected site. Radiolabeled with iodine-125, Rho-FF-Van shows strong radioactive signal in the MRSA-infected lungs in a murine model. This novel dual fluorescent and nuclear probe promises a new way for in vivo imaging of bacterial infections.     

Photodissociation of 2-Bromobutane at ～265 nm by Ion-velocity Map Imaging Technique

The photodissociation dynamics of 2-bromobutane has been investigated at 264.77 and 264.86 nm by ion-velocity map imaging technique coupled with resonance-enhanced multi-photon ionization. The speed and angular distributions have been derived from the velocity map images of Br and Br*. The speed distributions of Br and Br* atoms in the photodis-sociation of 2-bromobutane at ～265 nm can be fitted using only one Gaussian function indicating that bromine fragments were produced via direct dissociation of C-Br bond. Thecontributions of the excited ³Q₀, ³Q₁, and ¹Q₁ states to the products (Br and Br*) were discussed. It is found that the nonadiabatic ¹Q₁←³Q₀ transition plays an important role for Br photofragment in the dissociation of 2-C₄H₉Br at ～265 nm. Relative quantum yield of 0.621 for Br(²P_3/2) at ～265 nm in the photodissociation of 2-bromobutane is derived. By comparing the photodissociation of 2-C₄H₉Br at ～265 nm and that that at ～234 nm, the anisotropy parameter β(Br) and β(Br*), and relative quantum yield ?(Br) decrease with increasing wavelength, the probability of curve crossing between ³Q₀ and ¹Q₁ decreases with increasing laser wavelength.     

Versatile Fluorescent Probes for Imaging the Superoxide Anion in Living Cells and In Vivo

The superoxide anion (O₂^.−) is widely engaged in the regulation of cell functions and is thereby intimately associated with the onset and progression of many diseases. To ascertain the pathological roles of O₂^.− in related diseases, developing effective methods for monitoring O₂^.− in biological systems is essential. Fluorescence imaging is a powerful tool for monitoring bioactive molecules in cells and in vivo owing to its high sensitivity and high temporal-spatial resolution. Therefore, increasing numbers of fluorescent imaging probes have been constructed to monitor O₂^.− inside live cells and small animals. In this minireview, we summarize the methods for design and application of O₂^.−-responsive fluorescent probes. Moreover, we present the challenges for detecting O₂^.− and suggestions for constructing new fluorescent probes that can indicate the production sites and concentration changes in O₂^.− as well as O₂^.−-associated active molecules in living cells and in vivo.     

In Vivo Imaging of the Tumor-Associated Enzyme NCEH1 with a Covalent PET Probe

Herein, we report the development of an ¹⁸F-labeled, activity-based small-molecule probe targeting the cancer-associated serine hydrolase NCEH1. We undertook a focused medicinal chemistry campaign to simultaneously preserve potent and specific NCEH1 labeling in live cells and animals, while permitting facile ¹⁸F radionuclide incorporation required for PET imaging. The resulting molecule, [¹⁸F]JW199, labels active NCEH1 in live cells at nanomolar concentrations and greater than 1000-fold selectivity relative to other serine hydrolases. [¹⁸F]JW199 displays rapid, NCEH1-dependent accumulation in mouse tissues. Finally, we demonstrate that [¹⁸F]JW199 labels aggressive cancer tumor cells in vivo, which uncovered localized NCEH1 activity at the leading edge of triple-negative breast cancer tumors, suggesting roles for NCEH1 in tumor aggressiveness and metastasis.     

Near-Infrared Photothermally Activated DNAzyme–Gold Nanoshells for Imaging Metal Ions in Living Cells

DNAzymes have enjoyed success as metal ion sensors outside cells. Their susceptibility to metal-dependent cleavage during delivery into cells has limited their intracellular applications. To overcome this limitation, a near-infrared (NIR) photothermal activation method is presented for controlling DNAzyme activity in living cells. The system consists of a three-stranded DNAzyme precursor (TSDP), the hybridization of which prevents the DNAzyme from being active. After conjugating the TSDP onto gold nanoshells and upon NIR illumination, the increased temperature dehybridizes the TSDP to release the active DNAzyme, which then carries out metal-ion-dependent cleavage, resulting in releasing the cleaved product containing a fluorophore. Using this construct, detecting Zn²⁺ in living HeLa cells is demonstrated. This method has expanded the DNAzyme versatility for detecting metal ions in biological systems under NIR light that exhibits lower phototoxicity and higher tissue penetration ability.     

PLG-g-mPEG Mediated Multifunctional Nanoparticles for Photoacoustic Imaging Guided Combined Chemo/Photothermal Antitumor Therapy

Under laser irradiation, photothermal therapy(PTT) effectively ablates tumors above 50 °C. However, hyperthermia can cause additional damage due to the inevitable heat spread to surrounding healthy tissue. Herein, nanoparticles named as GI@P NPs were designed for enhanced PTT with heat shock protein 90(HSP90) inhibition at temperatures below 50 °C to achieve optimal cancer therapy and avoid surrounding damage. GI@P NPs were done by co-loading Garcinia cambogia acid(GA) and photosensitizer IR783 ...