Fast and Accurate Imaging of Lymph Node Metastasis with Multifunctional Near‐Infrared Polymer Dots

Abstract

Metastasis to regional lymph nodes is a significant prognostic indicator for cancer progression. There is a great demand for rapid and accurate diagnosis of metastasis to the lymph nodes. In this work, folate receptor‐targeted trimodal polymer dots are designed for near‐infrared (NIR)/photoacoustic (PA)/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of lymph node metastasis. Confocal microscopic analyses and flow cytometry show that pulmonary mucosa epithelial cell carcinoma NCI‐H292 with expression of the folate receptor is positive for folate‐functional polymer dots. In vivo and ex vivo NIR imaging results verify that prepared polymer dots show rapid and high uptake in the metastatic lymph nodes, can effectively distinguish metastatic and normal lymph nodes for 1 h postinjection, and have great potential in real‐time imaging‐guided surgery. Furthermore, ten metastatic lymph nodes from the tumor‐bearing mice are detected by NIR imaging via intratumoral injection of polymer dots. Moreover, in vivo PA and MR imaging confirm the enhanced PA and MR signals of polymer dots in the metastatic lymph nodes as well as enlarged lymph nodes in tumor‐bearing mice. The results of this study provide a unique approach using trimodal polymer dots for the rapid and precise diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in vivo.

Excretable Lanthanide Nanoparticle for Biomedical Imaging and Surgical Navigation in the Second Near‐Infrared Window

“…[56,57] Accurate lymph node (LN) identification and dissection significantly decrease relapse of tumor metastasis and alleviate side effects. [60,61] To illustrate the efficacy to localize SLN, RENPs@ Lips were injected intradermally near the base of the tail of [60,61] To illustrate the efficacy to localize SLN, RENPs@ Lips were injected intradermally near the base of the tail of …”

Nanoparticle‐Based Nanomedicines to Promote Cancer Immunotherapy: Recent Advances and Future Directions

“…In particular, the metastatic TDLNs, referred to lymph modes invaded by metastatic cancer cells, are key indicators of tumor prognosis after surgical resection. These metastatic cancer cells can be detected in the lymph nodes with folate‐functionalized polymer nanoparticles integrated with near‐infrared (NIR), photoacoustic (PA), and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging agents ( Figure ) . The multifunctional polymer nanoparticles with the diameter of 20–100 nm were captured rapidly by metastatic lymph nodes, effectively identifying and mapping the metastatic lymph nodes from normal counterparts, thus guiding further cancer treatment.…”

“…SC, sciatic lymph nodes, is indicated by a yellow–green triangle. All panels reproduced with permission . Copyright 2018, WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.…”

“…All panels reproduced with permission. [112] Copyright 2018, WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. development and maintenance of immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.…”

Semiconducting polymer dots as near‐infrared fluorescent probes for bioimaging and sensing

“…[10,[41][42][43][44] By taking advantage of the facile surface functionalization of Pdots, NIR Pdots conjugated with biomolecules (i.e., antibody and folic acid) can bind to specific cell surfaces or tissues. [10,[41][42][43][44] By taking advantage of the facile surface functionalization of Pdots, NIR Pdots conjugated with biomolecules (i.e., antibody and folic acid) can bind to specific cell surfaces or tissues.…”