NIR-II bioluminescence for in vivo high contrast imaging and in situ ATP-mediated metastases tracing

Nat Commun. 2020 Aug 21;11(1):4192. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-18051-1.

Abstract

Bioluminescence imaging has been widely used in life sciences and biomedical applications. However, conventional bioluminescence imaging usually operates in the visible region, which hampers the high-performance in vivo optical imaging due to the strong tissue absorption and scattering. To address this challenge, here we present bioluminescence probes (BPs) with emission in the second near infrared (NIR-II) region at 1029 nm by employing bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) and two-step fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) with a specially designed cyanine dye FD-1029. The biocompatible NIR-II-BPs are successfully applied to vessels and lymphatics imaging in mice, which gives ~5 times higher signal-to-noise ratios and ~1.5 times higher spatial resolution than those obtained by NIR-II fluorescence imaging and conventional bioluminescence imaging. Their capability of multiplexed imaging is also well displayed. Taking advantage of the ATP-responding character, the NIR-II-BPs are able to recognize tumor metastasis with a high tumor-to-normal tissue ratio at 83.4.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Triphosphate / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Biosensing Techniques
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Female
  • Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer / instrumentation
  • Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer / methods
  • Heterografts
  • Humans
  • Luminescent Measurements / instrumentation
  • Luminescent Measurements / methods*
  • Mice
  • Neoplasm Metastasis / diagnostic imaging*
  • Optical Imaging / instrumentation
  • Optical Imaging / methods*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging

Substances

  • Adenosine Triphosphate