Nd-Mn Molecular Cluster with Searched Targets for Oral Cancer Imaging

• Published in: Molecular imaging and biology Vol. 25; no. 5; pp. 875 - 886
• Main Authors: Hui, Xin, Wang, Yanxing, Li, Wenjing, Yuan, Ying, Tao, Xiaofeng, Lv, Ruichan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.10.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bioinformatics; Biomarkers; Cancer; Clustering; Erbium; Gadolinium; Gene expression; Gene set enrichment analysis; Imaging; Interstitial collagenase; Luminescence; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neodymium; Network analysis; Optical properties; Oral cancer; Oral carcinoma; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; Radiology; Rare earth elements; Research Article; Squamous cell carcinoma; Therapeutic targets; Ytterbium; Near infrared II region; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; Weighted gene co-expression network analysis
• ISSN: 1536-1632; 1860-2002; 1860-2002
• DOI: 10.1007/s11307-023-01828-3

In this research, we designed a novel NIR II luminescence imaging probe with targeting effect to accurately track oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. Massive gene expression data were processed by weighted gene co-expression network analysis to establish a network of relationships between genes. After clustering, correlation of clinical information, and gene functional enrichment analysis, MMP1 was predicted to be a biomarker/therapeutic target for OSCC cells. To obtain rare-earth probes with better luminescence in the NIR II region, we adjusted the doping ratio of the rare-earth element (Nd, Gd, Er, and Yb) fraction of the Nd-Mn molecular cluster to optimize its luminescence properties. The results of in vitro targeting experiments showed that Nd-Mn-MMP1Ab can target Cal-27 cells, demonstrating at the cellular level that the MMP1 gene is a biomarker for oral cancer, which also proves that the cancer targets predicted by the bioinformatics approach are correct.