Hypoxia-specific ultrasensitive detection of tumours and cancer cells in vivo

Abstract

Highly sensitive and specific non-invasive molecular imaging methods are particularly desirable for the early detection of cancers. Here we report a near-infrared optical imaging probe highly specific to the hypoxic tumour microenvironment to detect tumour and cancer cells with the sensitivity to a few thousands cancer cells. This oxygen-sensitive, near-infrared emitting and water-soluble phosphorescent macromolecular probe can not only report the hypoxic tumour environment of various cancer models, including metastatic tumours in vivo, but can also detect a small amount of cancer cells before the formation of the tumour based on the increased oxygen consumption during cancer cell proliferation. Thus, the reported hypoxia-sensitive probe may offer an imaging tool for characterizing the tumour microenvironment in vivo, detecting cancer cells at a very early stage of tumour development and lymph node metastasis.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Potentiates Doxil Antitumor Efficacy by Promoting Tumor Penetration and Sensitizing Cancer Cells

“…[[qv: 7d,18]] Here, liver cancer is selected for two considerations. First, liver cancer is widely used as a typical tumor model with rich ECM and severe hypoxia tumor microenvironment 21. Second, for the purpose of clinical translation, we applied clinical‐approved nanomedicine, Doxil, to combine with HBO.…”

Controllable Photodynamic Therapy Implemented by Regulating Singlet Oxygen Efficiency

“…Usually, ISC takes place between different energy levels such as S 1 to T n or T 1 to S 0 , and the quantum yield of ISC can be influenced by various factors such as heavy atom effect,6 electron configuration,7 perturbation of oxygen,8 and so on. To the best of our knowledge, the generation of 1 O 2 is mainly achieved by TTET, which takes from PS's triplet to ground oxygen (triplet state).…”

Multifunctional Phosphorescent Conjugated Polymer Dots for Hypoxia Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy of Cancer Cells

“…Although many efforts have been made for early‐stage diagnosis and treatment of cancers, there are still many difficulties in the medical field 7. The icO 2 level provides an important parameter in the early‐stage diagnosis of cancers 8, 9, 10, 11…”

“…Optical imaging techniques also play important roles in the icO 2 detection. Among a variety of emissive dyes available for icO 2 detection,10 phosphorescent transition‐metal complexes (PTMCs)11, 12 have unique advantages, owing to the efficient reversible quenching of phosphorescence by the triplet ground state of O 2 . In addition, PTMCs exhibit large Stokes shift, high photostability, and long emission lifetime, which are beneficial for biosensing and bioimaging.…”

“…Over the recent decade, many PTMCs‐based icO 2 probes and PDT photosensitizers have been reported 11, 12, 15. However, many of the reported probes and photosensitizers are hydrophobic small molecules, which suffer from poor water‐solubility, high cytotoxicity, and low molar absorption coefficient in the visible region.…”