Organic NIR-II molecule with long blood half-life for in vivo dynamic vascular imaging

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 3102 - 11
• Main Authors: Li, Benhao, Zhao, Mengyao, Feng, Lishuai, Dou, Chaoran, Ding, Suwan, Zhou, Gang, Lu, Lingfei, Zhang, Hongxin, Chen, Feiya, Li, Xiaomin, Li, Guangfeng, Zhao, Shichang, Jiang, Chunyu, Wang, Yan, Zhao, Dongyuan, Cheng, Yingsheng, Zhang, Fan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 18.06.2020; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 59; 639/638/11/874; 639/638/11/942; 692/699/75/593; Absorption; Animals; Blood circulation; Blood vessels; Blood-brain barrier; Carotid Arteries - diagnostic imaging; Carotid artery; Contrast agents; Emission analysis; Emissions; Female; Fluorescent Dyes; Half-life; Hindlimb - diagnostic imaging; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; I.R. radiation; Ischemia; Laboratories; Lymphatic system; Medical imaging; Mice, Nude; Monitoring; multidisciplinary; Near infrared radiation; Neuroimaging; Optical properties; Pharmacokinetics; Real time; Reperfusion; Reperfusion Injury - diagnostic imaging; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Thrombolysis; Thrombolytic drugs; Thrombosis - diagnostic imaging; Ultrasonic imaging; Vascular Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Veins & arteries; Wavelength
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16924-z

Real-time monitoring of vessel dysfunction is of great significance in preclinical research. Optical bioimaging in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window provides advantages including high resolution and fast feedback. However, the reported molecular dyes are hampered by limited blood circulation time (~ 5–60 min) and short absorption and emission wavelength, which impede the accurate long-term monitoring. Here, we report a NIR-II molecule (LZ-1105) with absorption and emission beyond 1000 nm. Thanks to the long blood circulation time (half-life of 3.2 h), the fluorophore is used for continuous real-time monitoring of dynamic vascular processes, including ischemic reperfusion in hindlimbs, thrombolysis in carotid artery and opening and recovery of the blood brain barrier (BBB). LZ-1105 provides an approach for researchers to assess vessel dysfunction due to the long excitation and emission wavelength and long-term blood circulation properties. Optical bioimaging in the second near-infrared (NIR-II, 1000–1700 nm) window exhibits abundant advantages. Here the authors report an organic NIR-II molecule with long blood circulation half-life time for continuous real-time monitoring of dynamic vascular processes.