Premium
Repurposing Cyanine NIR‐I Dyes Accelerates Clinical Translation of Near‐Infrared‐II (NIR‐II) Bioimaging
Author(s) -
Zhu Shoujun,
Hu Zhubin,
Tian Rui,
Yung Bryant C.,
Yang Qinglai,
Zhao Su,
Kiesewetter Dale O.,
Niu Gang,
Sun Haitao,
Antaris Alexander L.,
Chen Xiaoyuan
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.201802546
Subject(s) - cyanine , fluorophore , near infrared spectroscopy , materials science , fluorescence , autofluorescence , biological imaging , biocompatible material , nanomaterials , quantum yield , nanotechnology , indocyanine green , biomedical engineering , optics , physics , medicine
The significantly reduced tissue autofluorescence and scattering in the NIR‐II region (1000–1700 nm) opens many exciting avenues for detailed investigation of biological processes in vivo. However, the existing NIR‐II fluorescent agents, including many molecular dyes and inorganic nanomaterials, are primarily focused on complicated synthesis routes and unknown immunogenic responses with limited potential for clinical translation. Herein, the >1000 nm tail emission of conventional biocompatible NIR cyanine dyes with emission peaks at 700–900 nm is systematically investigated, and a type of bright dye for NIR‐II imaging with high potential for accelerating clinical translation is identified. The asymmetry of the π domain in the S 1 state of NIR cyanine dyes is proven to result in a twisted intramolecular charge‐transfer process and NIR‐II emission, establishing a general rule to guide future NIR‐I/II fluorophore synthesis. The screened NIR dyes are identified to possess a bright emission tail in the NIR‐II region along with high quantum yield, high molar‐extinction coefficient, rapid fecal excretion, and functional groups amenable for bioconjugation. As a result, NIR cyanine dyes can be used for NIR‐II imaging to afford superior contrast and real‐time imaging of several biological models, facilitating the translation of NIR‐II bioimaging to clinical theranostic applications.