BOIMPY-Based NIR-II Fluorophore with High Brightness and Long Absorption beyond 1000 nm for In Vivo Bioimaging: Synergistic Steric Regulation Strategy

Abstract

Fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared (NIR-II, 1000−1700 nm) region holds great promise for in vivo bioimaging. However, it is challenging to develop a brilliant donor−acceptor−donor (D−A−D) type NIR-II fluorophore with maximal absorption beyond 1000 nm in aqueous solution. Herein, we report a bright D−A−D type BOIMPYbased NIR-II dye (NK1143) with peak absorption/emission at 1005/1143 nm for in vivo bioimaging. Co-assembly of NK1143, SC12 (intermolecular steric hindrance modulator), and DSPE-PEG2000 effectively inhibits Haggregation of NK1143 in aqueous solution and enhances the brightness simultaneously up to 53-fold by leveraging synergistic steric regulation strategy. Notably, this strategy allows for deep optical penetration of 8 mm and high-resolution blood vessels imaging in vivo, displaying high signal-tobackground ratio of 7.8/1 under 980 nm excitation. More importantly, the BOIMPY-based nanoprobe can passively target and clearly visualize broad types of tumor xenografts, further improving intraoperative NIR-II fluorescence-guided resection of tiny metastases of less than 1 mm. This work provides an effective strategy for the development of BOIMPY-based NIR-II organic fluorophores with broad applications.

Non-Solvatochromic Cell Membrane-Targeted NIR Fluorescent Probe for Visualization of Polarity Abnormality in Drug-Induced Liver Injury Mice

“…Because of the uptake of the reticuloendothelial system, the fluorescence signals were mainly observed in the liver and spleen. 48 In comparison with the normal mouse, the APAP-treated mouse showed 1.83-fold higher fluorescence intensity in the liver and identical fluorescence intensity in the spleen, indicating that the liver polarity of the APAP-treated mouse was lower than the normal mouse (Figure 6E,F). Furthermore, the liver tissue sections were also stained with N-BPM-C 10 (Figure S9).…”

Anti‐Quenching NIR‐II J‐Aggregates of Benzo[c]thiophene Fluorophore for Highly Efficient Bioimaging and Phototheranostics

“…[16][17][18][19][20] However, most reported fluorophores show H-type or disordered aggregation with weakened NIR absorption and fluorescence performance after forming NPs due to their rigid and planar molecular structures. [21][22][23] Only a few types of fluorophores possess J-type packing characteristics such as boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY), cyanine, squaraine, and perylene bisimide. [24][25][26][27][28][29] Very recently, several NIR-II emissive J-aggregates are developed based on conventional J-type molecular skeletons.…”

Renal-Clearable Probe with Water Solubility and Photostability for Biomarker-Activatable Detection of Acute Kidney Injuries via NIR-II Fluorescence and Optoacoustic Imaging

“…Fluorescence imaging in the near-infrared second window (NIR-II, 900–1700 nm emission) has innate advantages of weak scattering of light and little autofluorescence in tissues, thus allowing imaging of organisms in a real-time way with higher resolution and at greater depth, facilitating more accurate disease diagnosis, and understanding of disease progression. − An optoacoustic (photoacoustic) imaging method images a sample with large penetration depth and high resolution by collecting ultrasound waves produced by photoabsorbers in the sample. − Especially, multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) is more advantageous, since this imaging technique detects the ultrasound signals produced by various photoabsorbers in the sample by irradiating the sample with laser light of multiple wavelengths; and the determination of the spectral identity of each photoabsorber is achieved by spectral unmixing so that the optoacoustic signal of a specific photoabsorber can be tracked. In addition, 3D (three-dimensional) images can be easily acquired or generated, thus facilitating accurate localization of the disease site and assessment of its size. − A probe suitable for NIR-II fluorescent and optoacoustic dual-mode imaging is very advantageous as it can provide mutually corroborating information.…”