Dye-Doped Fluorescent Nanoparticles in Molecular Imaging: A Review of Recent Advances and Future Opportunities

Molecular imaging (MI) is an in vivo assessment of characterization and quantitatively measurement of biological processes at the molecular level. Determination of pathologies of malfunctioned tissues without invasive biopsies or surgical procedures, early detection, monitoring of treatment process and visualization of cell trafficking are advantages of this approach. One example of basic requirement of MI is high affinity molecular probe that acts as the source of image contrast. Recent advances in nanotechnology have developed the use of nanoparticles as MI probe. Optical molecular imaging is one of the main categories of molecular imaging with great potentials for in vivo cell trafficking. Fluorescent nanoparticles are a major group of nanoparticles in optical molecular imaging. Dye-doped, quantum dots and upconversion particles are three classes of fluorescent nanoparticles. This paper reviews the basic principles of molecular imaging based on nanoparticles focusing on the optical molecular imaging. The characteristics of dye-doped nanoparticles, their as well as of that are reviewed in this paper.