Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging Contrast Agents for Clinical Research: Limitations and Alternatives

Introduction: Near-infrared fluorescence imaging is a technique that will establish itself in the short term at the international level because it is recognized for its potential to improve the performance of surgical interventions, its moderate investment and operating costs and its portability. Although the technology is now mature, there is currently the problem of the availability of contrast agents to be injected IV. The aim of this methodology article is to propose an alternative solution to the need for contrast agents for clinical research, particularly in oncology. Methodology: They consist of coupling a fluorescent marker in the form of an NHS derivative, such as IR DYE manufactured in compliance with GMP, with therapeutic monoclonal antibodies having marketing authorization for molecular imaging. For a given antibody, the marking procedure must be the subject of a validation file on the final preparation filtered on a sterilizing membrane at 0.22 μm. Once the procedure has been validated, it would be unnecessary to repeat the tests before each clinical research examination. A check of the marking by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and place it in a sample bank at +4˚C for 1 month of each injected formulation would be sufficient for additional tests if necessary. Conclusion: Molecular near-infrared fluorescence imaging is experiencing development, the process of which could be accelerated by greater availability of clinical contrast agents. Alternative solutions are therefore necessary to promote clinical research in this area. These methods must be shared to make it easier for researchers.

Automated apoptosis identification in fluorescence imaging of nucleus based on histogram of oriented gradients of high-frequency wavelet coefficients

The automatic and accurate identification of apoptosis facilitates large-scale cell analysis.Most identification approaches using nucleus fluorescence imaging are based on specific morphological parameters.However,these parameters cannot completely describe nuclear morphology,thus limiting the identification accuracy of models.This paper proposes a new feature extraction method to improve the performance of the model for apoptosis identification.The proposed method uses a histogram of oriented gradient(HOG)of high-frequency wavelet coefficients to extract internal and edge texture information.The HOG vectors are classified using support vector machine.The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed feature extraction method well performs apoptosis identification,attaining 95:7% accuracy with low cost in terms of time.We confirmed that our method has potential applications to cell biology research.

Compact and robust dual-color linearly polarized illumination source for three-photon fluorescence imaging

The miniaturized femtosecond laser in near infrared-Ⅱregion is the core equipment of threephoton microscopy.In this paper,we design a compact and robust illumination source that emits dual-color linearly polarized light for three-photon microscopy.Based on an all-polarizationmaintaining passive mode-locked fiber laser,we shift the center wavelength of the pulses to the 1.7m band utilizing cascade Raman effect,thereby generate dual-wavelength pulses.To enhance clarity,the two wavelengths are separated through the graded-index multimode fiber.Then we obtain the dual-pulse sequences with 1639.4 nm and 1683.7 nm wavelengths,920 fs pulse duration,and 23.75 MHz pulse repetition rate.The average power of the signal is 53.64mW,corresponding to a single pulse energy of 2.25 nJ.This illumination source can be further amplified and compressed for three-photon fluorescence imaging,especially dual-color three-photon fluorescence imaging,making it an ideal option for biomedical applications.

Intraoperative use of indocyanine green fluorescence imaging in rectal cancer surgery: The state of the art

Indocyanine green(ICG)fluorescence imaging is widely used in abdominal surgery.The implementation of minimally invasive rectal surgery using new methods like robotics or a transanal approach required improvement of optical systems.In that setting,ICG fluorescence optimizes intraoperative vision of anatomical structures by improving blood and lymphatic flow.The purpose of this review was to summarize all potential applications of this upcoming technology in rectal cancer surgery.Each type of use has been separately addressed and the evidence was investigated.During rectal resection,ICG fluorescence angiography is mainly used to evaluate the perfusion of the colonic stump in order to reduce the risk of anastomotic leaks.In addition,ICG fluorescence imaging allows easy visualization of organs such as the ureter or urethra to protect them from injury.This intraoperative technology is a valuable tool for conducting lymph node dissection along the iliac lymphatic chain or to better identifying the rectal dissection planes when a transanal approach is performed.This is an overview of the applications of ICG fluorescence imaging in current surgical practice and a synthesis of the results obtained from the literature.Although further studies are need to investigate the real clinical benefits,these findings may enhance use of ICG fluorescence in current clinical practice and stimulate future research on new applications.

Enzymatic activity and chlorophyll fluorescence imaging of maize seedlings (Zea mays L.) after exposure to low doses of chlorsulfuron and cadmium

The aim of this research was to study the influence of chlorsulfuron residue and cadmium on the enzymatic activity and photosynthetic apparatus of maize(Zea mays L.) plants. Chlorsulfuron and cadmium at 0.001 and 5.0 mg kg–1, respectively, were mixed and applied to soil prior to planting. The levels of chlorsulfuron-and cadmium-induced stress to plants were estimated by growth, chlorophyll content, lipid peroxide content, enzyme activities, and major fluorescence parameters of chlorophyll(revealed by the fluorescence imaging system Fluor Cam). Chlorsulfuron negatively affected the chlorophyll content, photochemical efficiency of photosystem II in the dark-adapted state, the maximum efficiency of photosystem II, photochemical quenching coefficient, and steady-state fluorescence decline ratio in the leaves of maize seedlings. However, cadmium did not produce noticeable changes. Plants that were exposed to both chlorsulfuron and cadmium showed an obvious increase in the steady-state fluorescence decline ratio. These results implied that the seedlings possessed more resistance to cadmium than to chlorsulfuron and their resistance to chlorsulfuron toxicity was enhanced by the presence of cadmium. The results also suggested that chlorophyll fluorescence imaging reveals overall alterations within the leaves but may not reflect small-scale effects on tissues, as numeric values of specific parameters are averages of the data collected from the whole leaf.

Advances in surgical techniques for gastric cancer:Indocyanine green and near-infrared fluorescence imaging.Is it ready for prime time?

Surgery is still the primary curative treatment for gastric cancer,which includes resection of the tumor with adequate margins and extended lymphadenectomy.In order to improve the operative results and the quality of life of patients,several endeavors have been made toward precision medicine through image-guided surgery,allowing access to real-time intraoperative anatomy and accurate tumor staging.The goal of the surgeon is to achieve a more precise,individualized,and less invasive surgery without compromising oncological efficiency and safety.In this perspective,we have demonstrated the role of indocyanine green(ICG)and near-infrared(NIR)fluorescence imaging method in gastric cancer surgery.This technique may be used to improve localization of the tumor,detection of sentinel lymph nodes(SLN),real-time lymphatic mapping,and blood flow assessment(anastomosis perfusion).

Fluorescence imaging of drug target proteins using chemical probes

Fluorescence imaging can provide valuable information on the expression,distribution,and activity of drug target proteins.Chemical probes are useful small-molecule tools for fluorescence imaging with high structural flexibility and biocompatibility.In this review,we briefly introduce two classes of fluorescent probes for the visualization of drug target proteins.Enzymatically activatable probes make use of the specific enzymatic transformations that generally produce a fluorogenic response upon reacting with target enzymes.Alternatively,specific imaging can be conferred with a ligand that drives the probes to target proteins,where the labeling relies on noncovalent binding,covalent inhibition,or traceless labeling by ligand-directed chemistry.

Selective and sensitive fluorescence imaging reveals microenvironment-dependent behavior of NO modulators in the endothelial system

Nitric oxide(NO)is a second messenger playing crucial roles in the signaling of a variety of cellular functions.Due to its pathophysiological significance,various NO modulators have been developed to explore NO pathways and some have been used as therapies.These modulators are often used directly to observe pharmacological effects in cell lines,but their actual effect on intracellular NO level is seldom analyzed.Herein,facilitated by a selective and sensitive fluorescence probe,we observed that some NO modulators displayed unexpected behaviors with both NO scavenger carboxy-PTIO and endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS)inhibitor N(u)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester(L-NAME)failing to decrease intracellular free NO level in EA.hy926 cells while NO donor diethylamine-NONOate(DEA$NONOate)and eNOS activator calcimycin(A23187)failing to increase free NO level in human umbilical vein endothelial cell line(HUV-EC-C),although the reagents were confirmed to work normally in the primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells(primary HUVECs)and RAW 264.7 macrophage cells.Further research suggested that these unusual behaviors might be attributed to the cellular microenvironments including both the NO synthase(NOS)level and the endogenous glutathione(GSH)level.Genetically manipulating eNOS level in both cells restores the expected response,while decreasing GSH level restores the ability of DEA$NONOate to increase NO level in HUV-EC-C.These results reveal that the cellular microenvironment has a profound impact on pharmacological effect.Our study suggests GSH as a reservoir for NO in live cells and highlights the value of chemical probes as valuable tools to reveal microenvironmentdependent pharmacological effects.

Visualization of integrin molecules by fluorescence imaging and techniques

Integrin molecules are transmembraneαβheterodimers involved in cell adhesion,trafficking,and signaling.Upon activation,integrins undergo dynamic conformational changes that regulate their affinity to ligands.The physiological functions and activation mechanisms of integrins have been heavily discussed in previous studies and reviews,but the fluorescence imaging techniques-which are powerful tools for biological studies-have not.Here we review the fluorescence labeling methods,imaging techniques,as well as Förster resonance energy transfer assays used to study integrin expression,localization,activation,and functions.

Altemeier perineal rectosigmoidectomy with indocyanine green fluorescence imaging for a female adolescent with complete rectal prolapse:A case report

BACKGROUND Rectal prolapse in young women is rare.Although laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy is the standard procedure because of its lower recurrence rate,postoperative infertility is a concern.Perineal rectosigmoidectomy(Altemeier procedure)is useful for these patients.However,the risk of anastomotic leakage should be considered.Recently,the usefulness of fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green(ICG)to prevent anastomotic leakage was reported.We report a case of an adolescent woman with complete rectal prolapse who underwent ICG fluorescence imaging-assisted Altemeier rectosigmoidectomy.CASE SUMMARY A 17-year-old woman who had a mental disorder was admitted to our hospital for treatment for water intoxication.The patient also suffered from rectal prolapse,approximately 3 mo before admission.She was referred to our surgical department because recurrent rectal prolapse could worsen her psychiatric disorder.Approximately 10 cm of complete rectal prolapse was observed.However,the mean maximum anal resting and constriction pressures were within normal limits on anorectal manometry.Because she had the desire to bear children in the future,she underwent Altemeier perineal rectosigmoidectomy to prevent surgery-related infertility.We performed ICG fluorescence imaging at the same time as surgery to reduce the risk of anastomotic leakage.Her postoperative course was uneventful,and the rectal prolapse was completely resolved.She continued to do well 18 mo after surgery,without recurrence of the rectal prolapse.CONCLUSION ICG fluorescence imaging-assisted Altemeier perineal rectosigmoidectomy is useful in preventing postoperative anastomotic leakage in young as well as elderly patients.

A"donor–acceptor"structured semiconductor polymer for near infrared fluorescence imaging guided photodynamic therapy

Near infrared(NIR)fluorescence imaging guided photodynamic therapy(PDT)is a technique which has been developed in many clinical trials due to its advantage of real-time optical monitoring,specific spatiotemporal selectivity,and minimal invasiveness.For this,photosensitizers with NIR fluorescence emission and high^(1)O_(2)generation quantum yield are highly desirable.Herein,we designed and synthesized a"donor-acceptor"(D-A)structured semiconductor polymer(SP),which was then wrapped with an amphiphilic compound(Pluronic■F127)to prepare water-soluble nanoparticles(F-SP NPs).The obtained F-SP NPs exhibit good water solubility,excellent particle size stability,strong absorbance at deep red region,and strong NIR fluorescent emission characteristics.The maximal mass extinction coe±cient and fluorescence quantum yield of these F-SPs were calculated to be 21.7 L/(g·cm)and 6.5%,respectively.Moreover,the^(1)O_(2)quantum yield of 89%for F-SP NPs has been achieved under 635 nm laser irradiation,which is higher than Methylene Blue,Ce6,and PpIX.The outstanding properties of these F-SP NPs originate from their unique D-A molecular characteristic.This work should help guide the design of novel semiconductor polymer for NIR fluorescent imaging guided PDT applications.

Detection of Petroleum Pollutants by Using Laser Induced Fluorescence Imaging

A new laser induced fluorescence imaging system used for detecting and locating the petroleum pollutants is presented. A unique feature of the system was using a combination of a frequency tripled Nd:YAG pulse laser and an image intensified CCD camera as imaging detector. The delay time of the system and the exposure time of the CCD are controlled by a delay generator. Petroleum pollutants on various backgrounds had been detected and located by this system. This imaging technique provides a useful noninvasive approach for the detection of petroleum pollutants, which can be used in remote sensing.

Indocyanine green fluorescence imaging for spleen preservation in laparoscopic splenic artery aneurysm resection:A case report

BACKGROUND Splenic artery aneurysm(SAA)is a rare vascular lesion conventionally treated by resection or interventional therapy.The surgical procedure usually involves splenectomy,and interventional therapy may cause post-embolization syndromes.Preservation of the spleen and its function is rarely reported during the management of SAA.CASE SUMMARY We report a patient with an asymptomatic SAA(3.5 cm in diameter),which was en-bloc resected laparoscopically using indocyanine green(ICG)fluorescence imaging to preserve the spleen and its function.CONCLUSION ICG fluorescence imaging for spleen preservation in laparoscopic SAA resection is safe and may be beneficial in avoiding splenectomy and maintaining splenic function.

Rational design of biodegradable semiconducting polymer nanoparticles for NIR-II fluorescence imaging-guided photodynamic therapy

Semiconducting polymer nanoparticles(SPNs)have shown great promise in second near-infrared window(NIR-II)phototheranostics.However,the issue of long metabolic time significantly restricts the clinical application of SPNs.In this study,we rationally designed a biodegradable SPN(BSPN50)for NIR-II fluorescence imaging-guided photodynamic therapy(PDT).BSPN50 is prepared by encapsulating a biodegradable SP(BSP50)with an amphiphilic copolymer F-127.BSP50 is composed of NIR-II fluorescent diketopyrrolopyrrole(DPP)segment and degradable poly(phenylenevinylene)(PPV)segment with the ratio of 50/50.BSPN50 has both satisfactory degradability under myeloperoxidase(MPO)/hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))and NIR-II fluorescence emission upon 808 nm laser excitation.Furthermore,BSPN50 shows good photodynamic efficacy under 808 nm laser irradiation.BSPN50 shows a faster degradation rate than BSPN100 which has no PPV segment both in vitro and in vivo.In addition,BSPN50 can effectively diagnose tumor via NIR-II fluorescence imaging and inhibit the tumor growth by PDT.Thus,our study provides a rational approach to construct biodegradable nanoplatforms for efficient tumor NIR-II phototheranostics.

Progress and Challenges of Water-soluble NIR-II Organic Fluorophores for Fluorescence Imaging In vivo

The small-molecule fluorophores for the second near-infrared(NIR-II,1000–1700 nm)window have attracted increasing attention in basic scientific research and preclinical practice owing to their deep-photo penetration,minimal physiological toxicity and simplicity of chemical modification.However,most of the reported small-molecule NIR-II fluorophores suffered from poor water solubility,which can easily cause organ toxicity.In addition,the aggregation caused by their poor water solubility in the aqueous solution would also result in weak fluorescence of these NIR-II fluorophores.Thus,it is highly desirable and valuable to develop water-soluble small-molecule NIR-II fluorophores with excellent photophysical properties for high-contrast in vivo imaging.In this review,we summarize the recent research advances in water-soluble small-molecule NIR-II fluorophores and highlight the representative bioimaging applications.Moreover,the potential challenges and perspectives of water-soluble small-molecule NIR-II fluorophores are discussed as well.We anticipate this review can help researchers to grab the latest information of water-soluble small-molecule fluorophores for NIR-II imaging,sequentially boosting their further development.

Self-confocal NIR-II fluorescence microscopy for multifunctional in vivo imaging

Fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared window(NIR-II,900–1880 nm)with less scattering background in biological tissues has been combined with the confocal microscopic system for achieving deep in vivo imaging with high spatial resolution.However,the traditional NIR-IIfluorescence confocal microscope with separate excitation focus and detection pinhole makes it possess low confocal e±ciency,as well as di±cultly to adjust.Two types of upgraded NIR-IIfluorescence confocal microscopes,sharing the same pinhole by excitation and emission focus,leading to higher confocal e±ciency,are built in this work.One type is-ber-pinhole-based confocal microscope applicable to CW laser excitation.It is constructed forfluorescence intensity imaging with large depth,high stabilization and low cost,which could replace multiphotonfluorescence microscopy in some applications(e.g.,cerebrovascular and hepatocellular imaging).The other type is air-pinhole-based confocal microscope applicable to femtosecond(fs)laser excitation.It can be employed not only for NIR-IIfluorescence intensity imaging,but also for multi-channelfluorescence lifetime imaging to recognize different structures with similarfluorescence spectrum.Moreover,it can be facilely combined with multiphotonfluorescence microscopy.A single fs pulsed laser is utilized to achieve up-conversion(visible multiphotonfluorescence)and down-conversion(NIR-II one-photonfluorescence)excitation simultaneously,extending imaging spectral channels,and thus facilitates multi-structure and multi-functional observation.

Stable Near-infrared-emitting Radical Nanoparticles for Fluorescence Imaging

Stable neutral luminescent radicals with unpaired electrons exhibit unique spin-allowed doublet-doublet transitions,which has attracted significant attention.Although they are pure organic molecules without metal ions thus thought to have low biological toxicity,the application of luminescent radicals to bioimaging has rarely been reported.Here,a stable radical with efficient near-infrared(NIR)emission and good photostability was designed and synthesized.After being wrapped into nanoparticles,it was applied to cell fluorescence imaging.The cytotoxicity experiments suggested that the nanoparticles have remarkable biocompatibility and excellent stability.An NIR fluorescent signal was successfully observed in the cytoplasm of HCT116 cells.The experimental results gave the first example of NIR emitting radical nanoparticles for cell fluorescence imaging and proved the feasibility of the application of luminescent radicals to fluorescence imaging.

GSH responsive traditional clinical drugs probe for cancer cell fluorescence imaging and therapy

Despite the rapid development of fluorescence detection modalities for disease diagnosis,novel fluorescent molecules and probes still face with tremendous pressure to transform before employing such fluorescent tools in the clinic.Impressively,the fluorescent probes based on the traditional fluorescent dye are expected to accelerate the transformation process.Herein,methylene blue is requisitioned to design the GSH responsive probe MB-SS-CPT elaborately.The as-synthesized MB-SS-CPT provides a dramatic optical advantage for GSH detection in vitro,cell fluorescence imaging,in vivo imaging,and antitumor therapy.

Design and development of a mitochondrial-targeted photosensitizer for two-photon fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy

Mitochondria are well-acknowledged as ideal targets for tumor therapy due to their important role in energy supply and cellular signal regulation.Mitochondria-specific photosensitizers have been reported to be critical for inducing cell apoptosis.Two-photon fluorescence imaging provides a new technique for delineating biological structures and activities in deep tissues.Herein,we developed a new aggregation-induced emission(AIE)active photosensitizer by attaching a pyridinium group for mitochondrial target-ing.The rationally designed photosensitizer(TTTP)exhibited excellent photophysical properties,good biocompatibility,reactive oxygen species(ROS)stimulation ability,anticancer efficacy,and two-photon imaging properties.TTTP was highly taken up by cells and accumulated specifically in mitochondria but was selectively cytotoxic to cancer cells.Under light irradiation,the generation of ROS was significantly boosted,leading to actively induced apoptosis.The in vivo tumor photodynamic therapeutic efficacy of TTTP showed significant inhibition of tumor growth.Furthermore,the underlying mechanism of TTTP tu-mor suppression revealed that the apoptosis agonist Bax was markedly up-regulated while the antagonist Bcl-xL was down-regulated.This research provides a potential mitochondrial-targeted phototherapeutic agent for effective therapy and two-photon fluorescence imaging.

In situ fluorescence imaging of fungi via(1,3)-β-D-glucan aptamer and tyramide signal amplification technology

Fungal infections are hazardous to human health that has drawn wide attention.In this work,a specific and sensitive method combing the recognition of aptamer to(1,3)-β-D-glucan and tyramide signal amplification technology was proposed for the in situ fluorescence imaging of fungi.Fungi could be distinctly observed by fluorescence microscope rapidly.This method provides morphology and diagnostic information for identifying fungi.The combination of aptamer and tyramide signal amplification technology is a promising tool for the detection of fungi,bacteria and even eukaryotic cell with the virtue of biomarkers.