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Near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores are the focus of extensive research for combined molecular imaging and hyperthermia. In this study, we showed that the cyanine dye IR820 has optical and thermal generation properties similar to those of indocyanine green (ICG) but with improved in vitro and in vivo stability. The fluorescent emission of IR820 has a lower quantum yield than ICG but less dependence of the emission peak location on concentration. IR820 demonstrated degradation half-times approximately double those of ICG under all temperature and light conditions in aqueous solution. In hyperthermia applications, IR820 generated lower peak temperatures than ICG (4-9%) after 3-minute laser exposure. However, there was no significant difference in hyperthermia cytotoxicity, with both dyes causing significant cell growth inhibition at concentrations ≥ 5 μM. Fluorescent images of cells with 10 μM IR820 were similar to ICG images. In rats, IR820 resulted in a significantly more intense fluorescence signal and significantly higher organ dye content than for ICG 24 hours after intravenous dye administration (p < .05). Our study shows that IR820 is a feasible agent in experimental models of imaging and hyperthermia and could be an alternative to ICG when greater stability, longer image collection times, or more predictable peak locations are desirable.

Real-time monitoring of tumor drug delivery in vivo is a daunting challenge due to the heterogeneity and complexity of the tumor microenvironment. In this study, we developed a biomimetic microfluidic tumor microenvironment (bMTM) comprising co-culture of tumor and endothelial cells in a 3D environment. The platform consists of a vascular compartment featuring a network of vessels cultured with endothelial cells forming a complete lumen under shear flow in communication with 3D solid tumors cultured in a tumor compartment. Endothelial cell permeability to both small dye molecules and large liposomal drug carriers were quantified using fluorescence microscopy. Endothelial cell intercellular junction formation was characterized by immunostaining. Endothelial cell permeability significantly increased in the presence of either tumor cell conditioned media (TCM) or tumor cells. The magnitude of this increase in permeability was significantly higher in the presence of metastatic breast tumor cells as compared to non-metastatic ones. Immunostaining revealed impaired endothelial cell-cell junctions in the presence of either metastatic TCM or metastatic tumor cells. Our findings indicate that the bMTM platform mimics the tumor microenvironment including the EPR effect. This platform has a significant potential in applications such as cell-cell/cell-drug carrier interaction studies and rapid screening of cancer drug therapeutics/carriers.

A detailed model mechanism for the G1/S transition in the mammalian cell cycle is presented and analysed by computer simulation to investigate whether the kinetic origins of the restriction point (R-point) can be identified. The R-point occurs in mid-to-late G1 phase and marks the transition between mitogen-dependent to mitogen-independent progression of the cell cycle. For purposes of computer simulations, the R-point is defined as the first point in time after mitosis where cutting off mitogen stimulation does not prevent the cell reaching the threshold activity of cyclin-E/cdk2 required for entry into S phase. The key components of the network that generate a dynamic switching behaviour associated with the R-point include a positive feedback loop between cyclin-E/cdk2 and Cdc25A, along with the mutually negative interaction between the cdk inhibitor p27Kip1 and cyclin-E/cdk2. Simulations of the passage through the R-point were carried out and the factors affecting the position of the R-point in G1 are determined. The detailed model also shows various points in the network where the activation of cyclin-E/cdk2 can be initiated with or without the involvement of the retinoblastoma protein.