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Nano Research 2023, 16(1): 1009-1020 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4846-9
Research Article | Issue | Published: 21 September 2022

In vivo tumor ultrasound-switchable fluorescence imaging via intravenous injections of size-controlled thermosensitive nanoparticles

Show Author's Information Liqin Ren1,2,§,  Yang Liu1,2,§,  Tingfeng Yao1,2,  Kytai T. Nguyen2,3,  Baohong Yuan1,2( )
Ultrasound and Optical Imaging Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, the University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Department of Bioengineering, the University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA

§ Liqin Ren and Yang Liu contributed equally to this work.

Keywords:
high resolution, in vivo tumor imaging, deep tissue near-infrared (NIR) imaging, ultrasound-switchable fluorescence imaging, indocyanine green (ICG)
Topics:
Medical imagingNanoprobesTumors
Cite this article:
Ren L, Liu Y, Yao T, et al. In vivo tumor ultrasound-switchable fluorescence imaging via intravenous injections of size-controlled thermosensitive nanoparticles. Nano Research, 2023, 16(1): 1009-1020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4846-9
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Abstract Full text Electronic supplementary material About this article

Near-infrared fluorescence imaging has emerged as a noninvasive, inexpensive, and ionizing-radiation-free monitoring tool for assessing tumor growth and treatment efficacy. In particular, ultrasound switchable fluorescence (USF) imaging has been explored with improved imaging sensitivity and spatial resolution in centimeter-deep tissues. This study achieved the size control of polymer-based and indocyanine green (ICG) encapsulated USF contrast agents, capable of accumulating in the tumor after intravenous injections. These nanoprobes varied in size from 58 to 321 nm. The bioimaging profiles demonstrated that the proposed nanoparticles can efficiently eliminate the background light from normal tissue and show a tumor-specific fluorescence enhancement in the BxPC-3 tumor-bearing mice models possibly via the enhanced permeability and retention effect. In vivo tumor USF imaging further demonstrated that these nanoprobes can effectively be switched “ON” with enhanced fluorescence in response to a focused ultrasound stimulation in the tumor microenvironment, contributing to the high-resolution USF images. Therefore, our findings suggest that ICG-encapsulated nanoparticles are good candidates for USF imaging of tumors in live animals, indicating their great potential in optical tumor imaging in deep tissue.


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Abstract
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Electronic supplementary material
About this article

In vivo tumor ultrasound-switchable fluorescence imaging via intravenous injections of size-controlled thermosensitive nanoparticles

Show Author's information Liqin Ren1,2,§, Yang Liu1,2,§, Tingfeng Yao1,2, Kytai T. Nguyen2,3, Baohong Yuan1,2( )
Ultrasound and Optical Imaging Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, the University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Department of Bioengineering, the University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA

§ Liqin Ren and Yang Liu contributed equally to this work.

Abstract

Near-infrared fluorescence imaging has emerged as a noninvasive, inexpensive, and ionizing-radiation-free monitoring tool for assessing tumor growth and treatment efficacy. In particular, ultrasound switchable fluorescence (USF) imaging has been explored with improved imaging sensitivity and spatial resolution in centimeter-deep tissues. This study achieved the size control of polymer-based and indocyanine green (ICG) encapsulated USF contrast agents, capable of accumulating in the tumor after intravenous injections. These nanoprobes varied in size from 58 to 321 nm. The bioimaging profiles demonstrated that the proposed nanoparticles can efficiently eliminate the background light from normal tissue and show a tumor-specific fluorescence enhancement in the BxPC-3 tumor-bearing mice models possibly via the enhanced permeability and retention effect. In vivo tumor USF imaging further demonstrated that these nanoprobes can effectively be switched “ON” with enhanced fluorescence in response to a focused ultrasound stimulation in the tumor microenvironment, contributing to the high-resolution USF images. Therefore, our findings suggest that ICG-encapsulated nanoparticles are good candidates for USF imaging of tumors in live animals, indicating their great potential in optical tumor imaging in deep tissue.

Keywords: high resolution, in vivo tumor imaging, deep tissue near-infrared (NIR) imaging, ultrasound-switchable fluorescence imaging, indocyanine green (ICG)

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Publication history
Copyright
Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 13 May 2022
Revised: 13 May 2022
Accepted: 01 August 2022
Published: 21 September 2022
Issue date: January 2023

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press 2022

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by funding from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (No. 1R15EB030809-01), the Research Enhancement Program (No. 270089), and the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (Nos. RP170564 and RP210206).

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