Mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) alteration is an important target for cancer diagnosis. In this study, we designed a series of near-infrared fluorescent cationic cyanine dyes with varying alkyl chain lengths (IC7-1 derivatives) to provide diverse lipophilicities and serum albumin-binding rates, and we evaluated the usefulness of these derivatives for in vivo Δψm imaging. IC7-1 derivatives with side chains from methyl to hexyl (IC7-1-Me to IC7-1-He) were synthesized, and their optical properties were measured. Cellular uptake and intracellular distribution were investigated with depolarized HeLa cells from carbonyl cyanine m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) treatment using a spectrofluorometer and a fluorescence microscope. Serum albumin-binding rates were evaluated using albumin-binding inhibitors. In vivo optical imaging was performed with HeLa cell xenograft mice following intravenous administration of IC7-1 derivatives with or without warfarin and CCCP as in vivo blocking agents. IC7-1 derivatives showing maximum excitation and emission wavelengths at 823 nm and ∼845 nm, respectively, were synthesized. IC7-1-Me to -Bu showed fluorescence in mitochondria that decreased with CCCP treatment in a concentration-dependent manner, which showed that IC7-1-Me to -Bu successfully indicated Δψm. Tumors were clearly visualized after IC7-1-Bu administration. Treatment with warfarin or CCCP significantly decreased IC7-1-Bu fluorescence in the tumor region. In summary, IC7-1-Bu exhibited fluorescence localized to mitochondria dependent on Δψm, which enabled clear in vivo tumor imaging via serum albumin as a drug carrier for effective tumor targeting. Our data suggest that IC7-1-Bu is a promising NIR probe for in vivo imaging of the altered Δψm of tumor cells.

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Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) is the most well-characterized FABP isoform. FABP4 regulates inflammatory pathways in adipocytes and macrophages and is involved in both inflammatory diseases and tumor formation. FABP4 expression was recently reported for glioblastoma, where it may participate in disease malignancy. While FABP4 is a potential molecular imaging target, with the exception of a tritium labeled probe there are no reports of other nuclear imaging probes that target this protein. Here we designed and synthesized a nuclear imaging probe, [123I]TAP1, and evaluated its potential as a FABP4 targeting probe in in vitro and in vivo assays. We focused on the unique structure of a triazolopyrimidine scaffold that lacks a carboxylic acid to design the TAP1 probe that can undergo facilitated delivery across cell membranes. The affinity of synthesized TAP1 was measured using FABP4 and 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid. [125I]TAP1 was synthesized by iododestannylation of a precursor, followed by affinity and selectivity measurements using immobilized FABPs. Biodistributions in normal and C6 glioblastoma-bearing mice were evaluated, and excised tumors were subjected to autoradiography and immunohistochemistry. TAP1 and [125I]TAP1 showed high affinity for FABP4 (K i = 44.5±9.8 nM, K d = 69.1±12.3 nM). The FABP4 binding affinity of [125I]TAP1 was 11.5- and 35.5-fold higher than for FABP3 and FABP5, respectively. In an in vivo study [125I]TAP1 displayed high stability against deiodination and degradation, and moderate radioactivity accumulation in C6 tumors (1.37±0.24% dose/g 3 hr after injection). The radioactivity distribution profile in tumors partially corresponded to the FABP4 positive area and was also affected by perfusion. The results indicate that [125I]TAP1 could detect FABP4 in vitro and partly in vivo. As such, [125I]TAP1 is a promising lead compound for further refinement for use in in vivo FABP4 imaging.

Photoacoustic imaging (PA imaging or PAI) has shown great promise in the detection and monitoring of cancer. Although nanocarrier-based contrast agents have been studied for use in PAI, small molecule contrast agents are required due to their ease of preparation, costeffectiveness, and low toxicity. Here, we evaluated the usefulness of a novel cyanine dye IC7-1-Bu as a PAI contrast agent without conjugated targeting moieties for in vivo tumor imaging in a mice model. Basic PA characteristics of IC7-1-Bu were compared with indocyanine green (ICG), a Food and Drug Administration approved dye, in an aqueous solution. We evaluated the tumor accumulation profile of IC7-1-Bu and ICG by in vivo fluorescence imaging. In vivo PAI was then performed with a photoacoustic tomography system 24 and 48 h after intravenous injection of IC7-1-Bu into tumor bearing mice. IC7-1-Bu showed about a 2.3-fold higher PA signal in aqueous solution compared with that of ICG. Unlike ICG, IC7-1-Bu showed high tumor fluorescence after intravenous injection. In vivo PAI provided a tumor to background PA signal ratio of approximately 2.5 after intravenous injection of IC7-1-Bu. These results indicate that IC7-1-Bu is a promising PAI contrast agent for cancer imaging without conjugation of targeting moieties.

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) contributes to tumor diagnosis through the use of PAI probes that effectively accumulate in tumors. Previously, we developed a symmetrical cyanine dye, IC7-1-Bu, which showed high potential as a PAI probe because of its high tumor targeting ability and sufficient in vivo PA signal. However, IC7-1-Bu lacks photostability for multiple laser irradiations, so we developed stabilized PAI probes using IC7-1-Bu as a lead compound. We focused on the effect of singlet oxygen (1O2) generated by excited PAI probes on probe degeneration. We introduced a triplet-state quencher (TSQ) moiety into IC7-1-Bu to quench 1O2 generation and designed three IC-n-T derivatives with different linker lengths (n indicates linker length). The IC-n-T derivatives emitted in vitro PA signals that were comparable to IC7-1-Bu and significantly reduced 1O2 generation while showing improved photostability against multiple irradiations. Of the three derivatives evaluated, IC-5-T accumulated in tumors effectively to allow clear PAI of tumors in vivo. Furthermore, the photostability of IC-5-T was 1.5-fold higher than that of IC7-1-Bu in in vivo sequential PAI. These results suggest that IC-5-T is a potential PAI probe for in vivo sequential tumor imaging.