Bioimaging of Hyaluronate-Interferon α Conjugates Using a Non-Interfering Zwitterionic Fluorophore

We conducted real-time bioimaging of the hyaluronate-interferon α (HA-IFNα) conjugate using a biologically inert zwitterionic fluorophore of ZW800-1 for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. ZW800-1 was labeled on the IFNα molecule of the HA-IFNα conjugate to investigate its biodistribution and clearance without altering its physicochemical and targeting characteristics. Confocal microscopy clearly visualized the effective in vitro cellular uptake of the HA-IFNα conjugate to HepG2 cells. After verifying the biological activity in Daudi cells, we conducted the pharmacokinetic analysis of the HA-IFNα conjugate, which confirmed its target-specific delivery to the liver with a prolonged residence time longer than that of PEGylated IFNα. In vivo and ex vivo bioimaging of the ZW800-1-labeled HA-IFNα conjugate directly showed real-time biodistribution and clearance of the conjugate that are consistent with the biological behaviors analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Furthermore, the elevated level of OAS1 mRNA in the liver confirmed in vivo antiviral activity of HA-IFNα conjugates. With the data taken together, we could confirm the feasibility of ZW800-1 as a biologically inert fluorophore and target-specific HA-IFNα conjugate for the treatment of HCV infection.