Near-infrared fluorophores with absolute aggregation-caused quenching and negligible fluorescence re-illumination for in vivo bioimaging of nanocarriers

Environment-responsive fluorophores with aggregation-caused quenching(ACQ)properties have been applied to track nanocarriers with reduced artefacts caused by unbound or free fluorophores but suffer from incomplete fluorescence quenching and significant re-illumination,which undermine bioimaging accuracy.Herein,through structural modifications to reinforce the hydrophobicity,planarity and rigidity of fluorophores with an aza-BODIPY framework,probes featuring absolute ACQ(aACQ)and negligible re-illumination are developed and evaluated in various nanocarriers.aACQ probes,FD-B21 and FD-C7,exhibit near-infrared emission,high quantum yield,photostability,water sensitivity,and negligible re-illumination in blood,plasma and 1%Tween-80 in contrast to ACQ probe P2 and conventional probe DiR.All nanocarriers can be labeled efficiently by the tested fluorophores.Polymeric micelles(PMs)labeled by different aACQ probes manifest similar biodistribution patterns,which however differ from that of DiR-labeled PMs and could be ascribed to the appreciable re-illumination of DiR.Significantly lower re-illumination is also found in aACQ probes(2%-3%)than DiR(20%-40%)in Caco-2,Hela,and Raw264.7 cells.Molecular dynamics simulations unravel the molecular mechanisms behind aggregation and re-illumination,supporting the hypothesis of planarity dependency.It is concluded that aACQ fluorophores demonstrate excellent water sensitivity and negligible fluorescence re-illumination,making themselves useful tools for more accurate bioimaging of nanocarriers.

Biomimetic thiamine- and niacin-decorated liposomes for enhanced oral delivery of insulin

Biomimetic nanocarriers are emerging as efficient vehicles to facilitate dietary absorption of biomacromolecules. In this study, two vitamins, thiamine and niacin, are employed to decorate liposomes loaded with insulin, thus facilitating oral absorption via vitamin ligand–receptor interactions. Both vitamins are conjugated with stearamine, which works to anchor the ligands to the surface of liposomes.Liposomes prepared under optimum conditions have a mean particle size of 125–150 nm and an insulin entrapment efficiency of approximately 30%–36%. Encapsulation into liposomes helps to stabilize insulin due to improved resistance against enzymatic disruption, with 60% and 80% of the insulin left after 4 h when incubated in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids, respectively, whereas non-encapsulated insulin is broken down completely at 0.5 h. Preservation of insulin bioactivity against preparative stresses is validated by intra-peritoneal injection of insulin after release from various liposomes using the surfactant Triton X-100. In a diabetic rat model chemically induced by streptozotocin, both thiamine-and niacindecorated liposomes showed a comparable and sustained mild hypoglycemic effect. The superiority of decorated liposomes over conventional liposomes highlights the contribution of vitamin ligands. It is concluded that decoration of liposomes with thiamine or niacin facilitates interactions with gastrointestinal vitamin receptors and thereby facilitates oral absorption of insulin-loaded liposomes.

Gastrointestinal lipolysis and trans-epithelial transport of SMEDDS via oral route

Self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems(SMEDDSs)have recently returned to the limelight of academia and industry due to their enormous potential in oral delivery of biomacromolecules.However,information on gastrointestinal lipolysis and trans-epithelial transport of SMEDDS is rare.Aggregation-caused quenching(ACQ)fuorescent probes are utilized to visualize the in vivo behaviors of SMEDDSs,because the released probes during lipolysis are quenched upon contacting water.Two SMEDDSs composed of medium chain triglyceride and different ratios of Tween-80 and PEG-400 are set as models,meanwhile Neoral?was used as a control.The SMEDDS droplets reside in the digestive tract for as long as 24 h and obey frst order kinetic law of lipolysis.The increased chain length of the triglyceride decreases the lipolysis of the SMEDDSs.Ex vivo imaging of main tissues and histological examination confrm the trans-epithelial transportation of the SMEDDS droplets.Approximately 2%-4%of the given SMEDDSs are transported via the lymph route following epithelial uptake,while liver is the main termination.Caco-2 cell lines confrm the cellular uptake and trans-epithelial transport.In conclusion,a fraction of SMEDDSs can survive the lipolysis in the gastrointestinal tract,permeate across the epithelia,translocate via the lymph,and accumulate mainly in the liver.

In vivo dissolution of poorly water-soluble drugs:Proof of concept based on fluorescence bioimaging

In vitro-in vivo correlation(IVIVC)of solid dosage forms should be established basically between in vitro and in vivo dissolution of active pharmaceutical ingredients.Nevertheless,in vivo dissolution profles have never been accurately portrayed.The current practice of IVIVC has to resort to in vivo absorption fractions(Fa).In this proof-of-concept study,in vivo dissolution of a model poorly watersoluble drug fenofbrate(FNB)was investigated by fuorescence bioimaging.FNB crystals were frst labeled by near-infrared fuorophores with aggregation-caused quenching properties.The dyes illuminated FNB crystals but quenched immediately and absolutely once been released into aqueous media,enabling accurate monitoring of residual drug crystals.The linearity established between fuorescence and crystal concentration justifed reliable quantifcation of FNB crystals.In vitro dissolution was frst measured following pharmacopoeia monograph protocols with well-documented IVIVC.The synchronicity between fuorescence and in vitro dissolution of FNB supported using fuorescence as a measure for determination of dissolution.In vitro dissolution correlated well with in vivo dissolution,acquired by either live or ex vivo imaging.The newly established IVIVC was further validated by correlating both in vitro and in vivo dissolution with Faobtained from pharmacokinetic data.

Permeation into but not across the cornea:Bioimaging of intact nanoemulsions and nanosuspensions using aggregation-caused quenching probes

Nanoemulsions(NEs) and nanosuspensions(NSs) show great potential in enhancing the ocular bioavailability of therapeutics through topical delivery. However, transocular fate of intact NEs and NSs is still inconclusive. In this study, an aggregation-caused quenching fluorescent probe is used to track precorneal retention and transocular transportation of intact NEs and NSs, while coumarin 6 is used to mimick the cargo. NEs show superior precorneal retention to NSs. Both the two types of nanocarriers can permeate into but not across the cornea. The smaller NEs(100 nm) permeate better into the cornea than the bigger ones(210 nm). Nanocarriers in the cornea serves as depots. The released cargo molecules can penetrate across the cornea and diffuse into the lens. Moreover, the conjunctiva-scleral route may be potential to deliver drugs to the back of the eye, In conclusion, the study provides useful tools and information in the field of transocular transportation of nanoparticles.

Ionic co-aggregates(ICAs)based oral drug delivery:Solubilization and permeability improvement

Due to the overwhelming percentage of poorly water-soluble drugs,pharmaceutical industry is in urgent need of efficient approaches for solubilization and permeability improvement.Salts consisting of lipophilic fatty acid anions and hydrophilic choline cations are found to be surface active and able to form ionic co-aggregates(ICAs)in water.Choline oleate-based ICAs significantly enhance oral absorption of paclitaxel(PTX)as compared with cremophor EL-based micelles(MCs).Aggregation-caused quenching probes enable tracking of intact ICAs in in vivo transport and cellular interaction.Prolonged intestinal retention of ICAs than MCs implies stronger solubilizing capability in vivo.Ex vivo imaging of major organs and intestinal tracts suggests transepithelial transport of intact ICAs.Cellular studies support the enhanced absorption of PTX and transmembrane transport of intact ICAs.In conclusion,ICAs,consisting of lipophilic ions and hydrophilic counter-ions,are of great potential in delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs by enhancing solubility and permeability.

Development of environment-insensitive and highly emissive BODIPYs via installation of N,N'-dialkylsubstituted amide at meso position

Fluorescent dyes play a crucial role in fluorescence imaging and sensing technology.However,there is a dilemma that they are usually intrinsically hydrophobic which lacks of emission in water and modification with ionic groups to access water solubility may result in poor membrane permeability.Fluorescent dyes with strong fluorescence emission in both nonpolar and polar solvents are highly desirable.In this manuscript,we reported a strategy to develop fluorescent BODIPY dyes via installation of amide moiety at meso position of 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-BODIPY and discovered that N,N'-dialkylsubstituted BODIPY amides possessed highly fluorescent emission with favorable environment-insensitive properties.

A Turn-On Fluorescent Probe for Highly Selective and Sensitive Detection of Palladium

A novel turn-on fluorescent probe for the detection of palladium has been designed. The probe can selectively and sensitively detect palladium in solution, and the limit of detection was calculated to be 11.4 nmol·L-1. Furthermore, the probe was successfully used for fluorescence imaging of palladium in living cells.

Accurate and sensitive probing of onset of micellization based on absolute aggregation-caused quenching effect

Probing the onset of micellization,or determining the critical micelle concentration(CMC),is of crucial importance while remains to be challenged by growing demand for extraordinary sensitivity and accuracy.Although fluorometry has attracted wide attention owing to its superiority in simplicity and sensitivity over other methods,the presence and fluctuation of background fluorescence of conventional fluorescent probes undermine the accuracy of CMC determination.Herein,a series of novel fluorescent probes without background fluorescence at a concentration below CMC owing to absolute aggregation-caused quenching(aACQ)are utilized for sensitive and accurate measurement of CMC.The aACQ probes aggregate spontaneously and instantly in an aqueous environment owing to molecular π-π stacking with fluorescence quenching absolutely.Therefore,the absence of background fluorescence at a concentration below CMC clears relevant interference associated with conventional fluorophores.In this study,the new method is applied for versatile surfactants with CMCs ranging from nanomolar to millimolar concentrations,especially copolymers with ultralow CMC.The higher sensitivity and accuracy are highlighted by comparison with conventional probes.