Open AccessA bright organic NIR-II nanofluorophore for three-dimensional imaging into biological tissues
Author(s) -
Hao Wan,
Jingying Yue,
Shoujun Zhu,
Takaaki Uno,
Xiao Dong Zhang,
Qinglai Yang,
Kuai Yu,
Guosong Hong,
Junying Wang,
Lulin Li,
Zhuoran Ma,
Hongpeng Gao,
Yongwang Zhong,
Jessica K. Su,
Alexander L. Antaris,
Yan Xia,
Jian Luo,
Yongye Liang,
Hongjie Dai
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
nature communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.559
H-Index - 365
ISSN - 2041-1723
DOI - 10.1038/s41467-018-03505-4
Subject(s) - autofluorescence , fluorescence , materials science , fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy , preclinical imaging , biological imaging , near infrared spectroscopy , water window , image resolution , penetration depth , biological tissue , molecular imaging , optics , nuclear magnetic resonance , in vivo , wavelength , optoelectronics , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , biology
Fluorescence imaging of biological systems in the second near-infrared (NIR-II, 1000–1700 nm) window has shown promise of high spatial resolution, low background, and deep tissue penetration owing to low autofluorescence and suppressed scattering of long wavelength photons. Here we develop a bright organic nanofluorophore (named p-FE) for high-performance biological imaging in the NIR-II window. The bright NIR-II >1100 nm fluorescence emission from p-FE affords non-invasive in vivo tracking of blood flow in mouse brain vessels. Excitingly, p-FE enables one-photon based, three-dimensional (3D) confocal imaging of vasculatures in fixed mouse brain tissue with a layer-by-layer imaging depth up to ~1.3 mm and sub-10 µm high spatial resolution. We also perform in vivo two-color fluorescence imaging in the NIR-II window by utilizing p-FE as a vasculature imaging agent emitting between 1100 and 1300 nm and single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) emitting above 1500 nm to highlight tumors in mice.