Utilization of Near-Infrared Fluorescent Imaging for Pharmaceutically Relevant Applications

Abstract

Optical imaging can be utilized for several pharmaceutical applications involving near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) dyes or NIRF moiety-containing products. Especially during the early phases of product development, NIRF dyes can be used as surrogates for drugs and optical imaging methods can be utilized to optimize the pharmaceutical product properties based on dye entrapment efficiency, in vitro dye release, cellular uptake, and in vivo biodistribution. Based on in vivo accumulation, product efficacy and toxicity can be evaluated in the early development stage. Compared to visible fluorescent dyes, NIRF offers advantages such as low background from formulation excipients as well as biological components.In this chapter, the utility of NIRF imaging methods for in vitro characterization (in vitro release and cellular uptake) and in vivo/ex vivo applicability of pharmaceutically relevant products is presented in detail. Specifically, the application of fluorescence imaging to characterize perfluorocarbon-based formulations for dye loading, in vitro release, cellular uptake, and in vivo imaging to assess target accumulation and biodistribution is discussed. These methods are widely applicable to other nanoparticle-based products involved in inflammation/cancer imaging and therapy. Overall, NIRF-based techniques are indispensible because they are relatively easy, fast, and cost effective to characterize and optimize pharmaceutical products at different stages of product development.

Quality by design approach identifies critical parameters driving oxygen delivery performance in vitro for perfluorocarbon based artificial oxygen carriers

“…Therefore, creative and inventive solutions to development of PFC AOCs which provide rigorous understanding of colloidal attributes are in demand 18 . As an alternative to the above strategies, our group reported PFC-NEs with high colloidal stability by introducing hydrocarbon oil to the internal phase to form triphasic nanoemulsions, as opposed to biphasic, PFC in water systems [31][32][33][34][35][36] . These PFC-NEs achieved shelf-life beyond 360 days and were stable when mixed with biological media (no change after 14 days exposure).…”