A Universal Strategy to Construct Lanthanide-Doped Nanoparticles-Based Activable NIR-II Luminescence Probe for...

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Imaging
• Materials Science

Background:

• Lanthanide-doped nanoparticles (LnNPs) show promise for second near-infrared (NIR-II) bioimaging due to superior photophysical properties.
• Developing activable LnNP probes that respond to specific biological targets remains a significant challenge in the field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a straightforward and versatile strategy for fabricating LnNP-based NIR-II probes.
• To demonstrate a target-triggered dye-sensitization process for activating NIR-II luminescence.
• To create a proof-of-concept probe for detecting glutathione (GSH) and validate the approach in vivo.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of LnNPs-based NIR-II probes utilizing a target-triggered dye-sensitization mechanism.
• Design of a dye molecule acting as both a target recognition motif and an antenna for LnNPs.
• Validation of the probe's performance in tracking GSH level fluctuations in vivo, including liver and lymphatic drainage imaging.

Main Results:

• Successful construction of a universal strategy for LnNP-based NIR-II probes.
• Demonstration of target-triggered activation of NIR-II luminescence via dye sensitization.
• High-contrast and high-resolution in vivo imaging of GSH levels in mouse models.
• The developed probe effectively tracked GSH fluctuations in the liver and lymphatic system.

Conclusions:

• The proposed dye-sensitization strategy offers a simple and generalizable method for constructing LnNP-based NIR-II probes.
• This approach significantly enhances the application of LnNPs in bioimaging by enabling detection of various analytes.
• The developed GSH probe shows potential for real-time monitoring of biological processes in vivo.