A Lysosome-Targeted Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe with Excellent Water Solubility for Surgery Navigation in Breast Cancer

Yumei Wu; Zhengjun Chen; Dan Shen; Zhiquan He; Jiajia Lv; Hongyu Li; Mingyan Yang; Jun Tan; Jianrong Yuan; Jie Gao; Zeli Yuan

doi:10.1021/acsomega.3c00601

A Lysosome-Targeted Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe with Excellent Water Solubility for Surgery Navigation in Breast Cancer

ACS Omega. 2023 Mar 23;8(13):12481-12488. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.3c00601. eCollection 2023 Apr 4.

Authors

Yumei Wu^{1

2

3}, Zhengjun Chen^{1

2

3}, Dan Shen^{1

2

3}, Zhiquan He⁴, Jiajia Lv^{1

2

3}, Hongyu Li^{1

2

3}, Mingyan Yang^{1

2

3}, Jun Tan⁵, Jianrong Yuan^{1

2

3}, Jie Gao^{1

2

3}, Zeli Yuan^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Ministry of Education and Joint International Research Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563000, China.
² Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis & Chiral Drug Synthesis of Guizhou Province, School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563000, China.
³ Guizhou International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base for Medical Photo-Theranostics Technology and Innovative Drug Development, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563000, China.
⁴ Morphological Laboratory, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563000, China.
⁵ Department of Histology and Embryology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563000, China.

Abstract

To get a tumor-targeted contrast agent for imaging guide resection of tumors, we designed a novel fluorescent probe based on the heptamethine cyanine core, Cy7-MO, which has excellent water solubility and near-infrared photophysical and lysosomal targeting properties. The chemical structure of Cy7-MO was characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The toxicity of Cy7-MO was evaluated by cell counting kit-8. Then, a cellular-level study was conducted to evaluate the suborganelle localization in 4T1-Luc1 cells, and it was also used for surgical navigation in orthotopic breast tumor resection in vivo. The results showed that Cy7-MO was well targeted to lysosomes. Importantly, the Cy7-MO probe was found to be well tolerable and exhibited excellent biocompatibility. Moreover, the orthotopic breast tumor margin was clearly visualized through fluorescence guiding of Cy7-MO. Finally, the correct tumor tissues were completely removed, and a negative margin was obtained successfully, which demonstrated an enhanced precision of surgery.