Development of Novel Nanocarrier-Based Near-Infrared Optical Probes for In Vivo Tumor Imaging

Optical imaging with near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes is a useful diagnostic technology for in vivo tumor detection. Our plan was to develop novel NIR fluorophore-micelle complex probes. IC7-1 and IC7-2 were synthesized as novel lipophilic NIR fluorophores, which were encapsulated in an amphiphilic polydepsipeptide micelle “lactosome”. The fluorophore-micelle complexes IC7-1 lactosome and IC7-2 lactosome were evaluated as NIR fluorescent probes for in vivo tumor imaging. IC7-1 and IC7-2 were synthesized and then encapsulated in lactosomes. The optical properties of IC7-1, IC7-2, IC7-1 lactosome and IC7-2 lactosome were measured. IC7-1 lactosome and IC7-2 lactosome were administered to tumor-bearing mice, and fluorescence images were acquired for 48 h. IC7-1 and IC7-2 were successfully synthesized in 12% and 6.3% overall yield, and maximum emission wavelengths in chloroform were observed at 858 nm and 897 nm, respectively. Aqueous buffered solutions of IC7-1 lactosome and IC7-2 lactosome showed similar fluorescence spectra in chloroform and higher or comparable quantum yields and higher photostability compared with ICG. Both lactosome probes specifically visualized tumor tissue 6 h post-administration. IC7-1 lactosome and IC7-2 lactosome could be promising NIR probes for in vivo tumor imaging.