Determination of optimal rhodamine fluorophore for in vivo optical imaging

Optical imaging has the potential to improve the efficacy of surgical and endoscopic approaches to cancer treatment; however, the optimal type of fluorescent probe has not yet been established. It is well-known that rhodamine-core-derived fluorophores offer a combination of desirable properties such as good photostability, high extinction coefficient, and high fluorescence quantum yield. However, despite the ubiquitous use of rhodamine fluorophores for in vivo optical imaging, it remains to be determined if unique chemical properties among individual rhodamine core family members affect fluorophore parameters critical to in vivo optical imaging applications. These parameters include preserved fluorescence intensity in low pH environments, similar to that of the endolysosome; efficient fluorescence signal despite conformational changes to targeting proteins as may occur in harsh subcellular environments; persistence of fluorescence after cellular internalization; and sufficient signal-to-background ratios to permit the identification of fluorophore-targeted tumors. In the present study, we conjugated 4 common rhodamine-core based fluorescent dyes to a clinically feasible and quickly internalizing D-galactose receptor targeting reagent, galactosamine serum albumin (GmSA), and conducted a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments using a metastatic ovarian cancer mouse model to determine if differences in optical imaging properties exist among rhodamine fluorophores and if so, which rhodamine core possesses optimal characteristics for in vivo imaging applications. Herein, we demonstrate that the rhodamine-fluorophore, TAMRA, is the most robust of the 4 common rhodamine fluorophores for in vivo optical imaging of ovarian cancer metastases to the peritoneum.