A bright organic NIR-II nanofluorophore for three-dimensional imaging into biological tissues.

ABSTRACT: Fluorescence imaging of biological systems in the second near-infrared (NIR-II, 1000-1700?nm) window has shown promise of high spatial resolution, low background, and deep tissue penetration owing to low autofluorescence and suppressed scattering of long wavelength photons. Here we develop a bright organic nanofluorophore (named p-FE) for high-performance biological imaging in the NIR-II window. The bright NIR-II >1100?nm fluorescence emission from p-FE affords non-invasive in vivo tracking of blood flow in mouse brain vessels. Excitingly, p-FE enables one-photon based, three-dimensional (3D) confocal imaging of vasculatures in fixed mouse brain tissue with a layer-by-layer imaging depth up to ~1.3?mm and sub-10?µm high spatial resolution. We also perform in vivo two-color fluorescence imaging in the NIR-II window by utilizing p-FE as a vasculature imaging agent emitting between 1100 and 1300?nm and single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) emitting above 1500?nm to highlight tumors in mice.

SUBMITTER: Wan H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5862886 | biostudies-other | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other