An activatable fluorescent-photoacoustic dual-modal probe for highly sensitive imaging of nitroxyl in vivo

Analyst. 2024 Apr 15;149(8):2299-2305. doi: 10.1039/d4an00188e.

Abstract

Nitroxyl (HNO) plays a vital role in various biological functions and pharmacological activities, so the development of an excellent near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) and photoacoustic (PA) dual-modality probe is crucial for understanding HNO-related physiological and pathological progression. Herein, we proposed and synthesized a novel NIRF/PA dual probe (QL-HNO) by substituting an indole with quinolinium in hemicyanine for the sensitive detection of exogenous and endogenous HNO in vivo. The designed probe showed the highest sensitivity in NIRF mode and a desirable PA signal-to-noise ratio for HNO detection in vitro and was further applied for NIRF/PA dual-modal imaging of HNO with high contrast in living cells and tumor-bearing animals. Based on the excellent performance of QL-HNO, we believe that this study provides a promising molecular tool for further understanding of HNO-related physiological and pathological progression.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Diagnostic Imaging
  • Fluorescent Dyes* / toxicity
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Nitrogen Oxides*

Substances

  • nitroxyl
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Nitrogen Oxides