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Remarkable NIR Enhancement of Multifunctional Nanoprobes for In Vivo Trimodal Bioimaging and Upconversion Optical/T 2 ‐Weighted MRI‐Guided Small Tumor Diagnosis
Author(s) -
Yi Zhigao,
Li Xiaolong,
Xue Zhenluan,
Liang Xiao,
Lu Wei,
Peng Hao,
Liu Hongrong,
Zeng Songjun,
Hao Jianhua
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201503672
Subject(s) - materials science , in vivo , photon upconversion , magnetic resonance imaging , polyethylene glycol , peg ratio , nanoprobe , nanotechnology , nanoparticle , biomedical engineering , doping , optoelectronics , medicine , radiology , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , organic chemistry , finance , economics , biology
Effective nanoprobes and contrast agents are urgently sought for early‐stage cancer diagnosis. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are considerable alternatives for bioimaging, cancer diagnosis, and therapy. Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ co‐doping brings both emission and excitation wavelengths into the near‐infrared (NIR) region, which is known as “optical transmission window” and ideally suitable for bioimaging. Here, NIR emission intensity is remarkably enhanced by 113 times with the increase of Yb 3+ concentration from 20% to 98% in polyethylene glycol (PEG) modified NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ UCNPs. PEG‐UCNPs‐5 (98% Yb 3+ ) can act as excellent nanoprobes and contrast agents for trimodal upconversion (UC) optical/CT/T 2 ‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In addition, the enhanced detection of lung in vivo long‐lasting tracking, as well as possible clearance mechanism and excretion routes of PEG‐UCNPs‐5 have been demonstrated. More significantly, a small tumor down to 4 mm is detected in vivo via intravenous injection of these nanoprobes under both UC optical and T 2 ‐weighted MRI modalities. PEG‐UCNPs‐5 can emerge as bioprobes for multi‐modal bioimaging, disease diagnosis, and therapy, especially the early‐stage tumor diagnosis.