Bismuth Selenide Nanostructured Clusters as Optical Coherence Tomography Contrast Agents: Beyond Gold-Based Particles

Abstract

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique currently used in clinical practice to obtain optical biopsies of different biological tissues in a minimally invasive way. Among the contrast agents proposed to increase the efficacy of this imaging method, gold nanoshells (GNSs) are the best performing ones. However, their preparation is generally time-consuming, and they are intrinsically costly to produce. Herein, we propose a more affordable alternative to these contrast agents: Bi 2 Se 3 nanostructured clusters with a desert rose-like morphology prepared via a microwave-assisted method. The structures are prepared in a matter of minutes, feature strong near-infrared extinction properties, and are biocompatible. They also boast a photon-to-heat conversion efficiency of close to 50%, making them good candidates as photothermal therapy agents. In vitro studies evidence the prowess of Bi 2 Se 3 clusters as OCT contrast agents and prove that their performance is comparable to that of GNSs.

Mn5+ Lifetime‐Based Thermal Imaging in the Optical Transparency Windows Through Skin‐Mimicking Tissue Phantom

“…Tissue phantoms were prepared on a modified procedure given in. [ 38 ] For this purpose, different volumes of Intralipids (20% emulsion, Sigma Aldrich) were introduced into a 100 mL Erlenmeyer flask and water was added to reach a final volume of 50 mL. Phantoms, with 10, 25, 50, and 100% of Intralipids relative content were prepared.…”

Critical evaluation of the thermometric performance of ratiometric luminescence thermometers based on Ba3(VO4)2:Mn5+,Nd3+ for deep-tissue thermal imaging

“…Tissue phantoms were prepared based on a modified procedure described in ref. 29. In this work, two types of phantom tissues were used, consisting of 50% intralipids emulsion (tissue phantom A), and 50% intralipids emulsion with 0.1% of Indian ink (tissue phantom B). For this purpose, the intralipids emulsion (20% in water, Sigma Aldrich) and deionized water in a 1 : 1 ratio were added into a 100 mL Erlenmeyer flask to achieve a final volume of 50 mL.…”

“…Tissue phantoms were prepared based on a modified procedure described in ref. 29. In this work, two types of phantom tissues were used, consisting of 50% intralipids emulsion (tissue phantom A), and 50% intralipids emulsion with 0.1% of Indian ink (tissue phantom B).…”

Ag2S Biocompatible Ensembles as Dual OCT Contrast Agents and NIR Ocular Imaging Probes

“…[20,21] In the case of metallic NPs, localized surface plasmon resonances guarantee many of these requirements. [22] However, other materials such as sub-micrometric polymeric colloids [23] as well as other semiconductor materials such as CuS, [24] PbS, [25] or Bi 2 S 3 NPs [26] show excellent properties that help to better discern biological features.…”