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Jo G, Park Y, Park MH, Hyun H. Rational Design of a Small Molecular Near-Infrared Fluorophore for Improved In Vivo Fluorescence Imaging. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:7227. [PMID: 38005156 PMCID: PMC10672724 DOI: 10.3390/ma16227227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
The near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging modality has great potential for application in biomedical imaging research owing to its unique characteristics, such as low tissue autofluorescence and noninvasive visualization with high spatial resolution. Although a variety of NIR fluorophores are continuously reported, the commercially available NIR fluorophores are still limited, owing to complex synthetic processes and poor physicochemical properties. To address this issue, a small molecular NIR fluorophore (SMF800) was designed and developed in the present work to improve in vivo target-specific fluorescence imaging. After conjugation with pamidronate (PAM) and bovine serum albumin (BSA), the SMF800 conjugates exhibited successful in vivo targeting in bone and tumor tissues with low background uptake, respectively. The improved in vivo performance of the SMF800 conjugate demonstrated that the small molecular NIR fluorophore SMF800 can be widely used in a much broader range of imaging applications. The structure of SMF800, which was developed by considering two important physicochemical properties, water solubility and conjugatability, is first introduced. Therefore, this work suggests a simple and rational approach to design small, hydrophilic, and conjugatable NIR fluorophores for targeted bioimaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayoung Jo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun 58128, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoonbin Park
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun 58128, Republic of Korea
- BioMedical Sciences Graduate Program (BMSGP), Chonnam National University, Hwasun 58128, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Ho Park
- Department of Surgery, Chonnam National University Medical School and Hwasun Hospital, Hwasun 58128, Republic of Korea
| | - Hoon Hyun
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun 58128, Republic of Korea
- BioMedical Sciences Graduate Program (BMSGP), Chonnam National University, Hwasun 58128, Republic of Korea
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Tumor Targeting with Methotrexate-Conjugated Zwitterionic Near-Infrared Fluorophore for Precise Photothermal Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232214127. [PMID: 36430604 PMCID: PMC9697011 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232214127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted tumor imaging can effectively enable image-guided surgery and precise cancer therapy. Finding the right combination of anticancer drugs and near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores is the key to targeted photothermal cancer treatment. In this study, a tumor-targetable NIR fluorophore conjugate with rapid body clearance was developed for accurate tumor imaging and effective photothermal therapy (PTT). The methotrexate (MTX) and zwitterionic NIR fluorophore conjugate (MTX-ZW) were prepared by conjugating a folate antagonist MTX with an aminated ZW800-1 analog to increase the tumor targetability for NIR laser-based PTT of cancer. The MTX, known as a poor tumor-selective drug, showed high tumor accumulation and rapid background clearance after conjugation with the highly water-soluble zwitterionic NIR fluorophore up to 4 h post-injection. The photothermal energy was generated from the MTX-ZW conjugate to induce necrotic cell death in the targeted tumor site under 808 nm laser irradiation. Compared with the previously reported MTX conjugates, the MTX-ZW conjugate can be a great candidate for targeted tumor imaging and fluorescence-guided photothermal cancer therapy. Therefore, these results provide a strategy for the design of drug-fluorophore conjugates and elaborate therapeutic platforms for cancer phototherapy.
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Jo G, Kim EJ, Hyun H. Tumor Targeting by Conjugation of Chlorambucil with Zwitterionic Near-Infrared Fluorophore for Cancer Phototherapy. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232214093. [PMID: 36430570 PMCID: PMC9697975 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232214093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Improving the tumor targeting of anticancer drugs to minimize systemic exposure remains challenging. The chemical conjugation of anticancer drugs with various near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores may provide an effective approach to improve NIR laser-induced cancer phototherapy. Towards this end, the selection of NIR fluorophores conjugated with hydrophobic anticancer drugs is an important consideration for targeted cancer photothermal therapy (PTT). In this study, a highly water-soluble zwitterionic NIR fluorophore (ZW800) was prepared to conjugate with a water-insoluble anticancer drug, chlorambucil (CLB), to improve tumor targeting, in vivo biodistribution, and PTT performance. The in vivo results using an HT-29 xenograft mouse model demonstrated that the CLB-ZW800 conjugate not only exhibited high tumor accumulation within 4 h after injection, but also showed rapid body clearance behavior for less systemic toxicity. Furthermore, the tumor tissue targeted by the CLB-ZW800 conjugate was exposed to 808 nm NIR laser irradiation to generate photothermal energy and promote apoptotic cell death for the effective PTT of cancer. Therefore, this study provides a feasible strategy for developing bifunctional PTT agents capable of tumor-targeted imaging and phototherapy by the conjugation of small molecule drugs with the versatile zwitterionic NIR fluorophore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayoung Jo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun 58128, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Jeong Kim
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun 58128, Republic of Korea
| | - Hoon Hyun
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun 58128, Republic of Korea
- BioMedical Sciences Graduate Program (BMSGP), Chonnam National University, Hwasun 58128, Republic of Korea
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-61-379-2652
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Gu X, Yang B. Methods for Assessment of the Glomerular Filtration Rate in Laboratory Animals. KIDNEY DISEASES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 8:381-391. [PMID: 36466070 PMCID: PMC9710478 DOI: 10.1159/000525049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The glomerular filtration rate (GFR), as the benchmark of renal function, has been widely used in clinical practice and basic medical research. Currently, most researchers still rely on endogenous markers, such as plasma creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and cystatin C, to evaluate renal function in laboratory animals. While inexpensive and simple to use, methods based on endogenous markers are often inaccurate and susceptible to several internal physiological factors. Thus, it is necessary to establish a method to precisely assess the GFR, especially when detecting early changes in GFR during acute kidney injury, and hyperfiltration usually caused by pregnancy or diabetic nephropathy. In addition, laboratory animals have higher tolerance for invasive procedures than humans, allowing novel technologies to be applied on them for GFR monitoring. In recent years, significant progress has been made in developing new methods to assess GFR in animals. However, no publication has reviewed these techniques. SUMMARY This article summarized the majority of methods used to assess the GFR in animals in recent decades and discussed their working principles, workflows, advantages, and limitations, providing a wealth of reference and information for researchers interested in studying the kidney function in animals and developing techniques to monitor the GFR.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Baoxue Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
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Wang H, Kang H, Dinh J, Yokomizo S, Stiles WR, Tully M, Cardenas K, Srinivas S, Ingerick J, Ahn S, Bao K, Choi HS. P800SO3-PEG: a renal clearable bone-targeted fluorophore for theranostic imaging. Biomater Res 2022; 26:51. [PMID: 36183117 PMCID: PMC9526902 DOI: 10.1186/s40824-022-00294-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Due to the deep tissue penetration and reduced scattering, NIR-II fluorescence imaging is advantageous over conventional visible and NIR-I fluorescence imaging for the detection of bone growth, metabolism, metastasis, and other bone-related diseases. METHODS Bone-targeted heptamethine cyanine fluorophores were synthesized by substituting the meso-carbon with a sulfur atom, resulting in a bathochromic shift and increased fluorescence intensity. The physicochemical, optical, and thermal stability of newly synthesized bone-targeted NIR fluorophores was performed in aqueous solvents. Calcium binding, bone-specific targeting, biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, and 2D and 3D NIR imaging were performed in animal models. RESULTS The newly synthesized S-substituted heptamethine fluorophores demonstrated a high affinity for hydroxyapatite and calcium phosphate, which improved bone-specific targeting with signal-background ratios > 3.5. Particularly, P800SO3-PEG showed minimum nonspecific uptake, and most unbound molecules were excreted into the urinary bladder. Histological analyses demonstrated that P800SO3-PEG remained stable in the bone for over two weeks and was incorporated into bone matrices. Interestingly, the flexible thiol ethylene glycol linker on P800SO3-PEG induced a promising photothermal effect upon NIR laser irradiation, demonstrating potential theranostic imaging. CONCLUSIONS P800SO3-PEG shows a high affinity for bone tissues, deeper tissue imaging capabilities, minimum nonspecific uptake in the major organs, and photothermal effect upon laser irradiation, making it optimal for bone-targeted theranostic imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Wang
- Wuya College of Innovation, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China.,Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Homan Kang
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jason Dinh
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shinya Yokomizo
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wesley R Stiles
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Molly Tully
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kevin Cardenas
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Surbhi Srinivas
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jason Ingerick
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sung Ahn
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kai Bao
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Hak Soo Choi
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Tumor-Targeted ZW800-1 Analog for Enhanced Tumor Imaging and Photothermal Therapy. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13101648. [PMID: 34683940 PMCID: PMC8537849 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13101648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
ZW800-1, a representative zwitterionic near-infrared (NIR) fluorophore, can minimize background tissue uptake owing to its balanced surface charges, and therefore, is widely used for improved NIR fluorescence imaging. As ZW800-1 has no tumor targetability, tumor imaging is highly dependent on the ability of the molecules conjugated to the ZW800-1. To enable tumor targeting using ZW800-1 without additional conjugation, we developed a tumor-targetable and renal-clearable ZW800-1 analog (ZW800-AM) based on the structural modification of ZW800-1. Specifically, an amine group on the center linker of the ZW800-1 indocyanine backbone was modified by replacing phenoxypropionic acid with tyramine linkage on the meso-chlorine atom. This modification improved the tumor targeting ability, which is known as the structure-inherent targeting strategy. More importantly, ZW800-AM not only showed sufficient tumor accumulation without nonspecific uptake but also produced a photothermal effect, killing tumor cells under 808 nm NIR laser irradiation. In addition, ZW800-AM exhibited rapid renal elimination from the body within 4 h of injection, similar to ZW800-1. Overall, the discovery of ZW800-AM as a bifunctional phototherapeutic agent may provide an ideal alternative for tumor-targeted imaging and phototherapy.
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