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Updated: Oct 7, 2025
Diagnosis of Neoplasia in Barrett’s Esophagus using Vital-dye Enhanced Fluorescence Imaging
Published on: May 11, 2014
CXCR4 peptide-based fluorescence endoscopy in a mouse model of Barrett's esophagus
Sabrina Marcazzan1,2,3,4, Marcos J Braz Carvalho1, Matthias Konrad5
1II Medizinische Klinik, Klinikum rechts der isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Background:
Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging has been emerging as a promising strategy to overcome the high number of early esophageal adenocarcinomas missed by white light endoscopy and random biopsy collection. We performed a preclinical assessment of fluorescence imaging and endoscopy using a novel CXCR4-targeted fluorescent peptide ligand in the L2-IL1B mouse model of Barrett's esophagus.
Methods:
Six L2-IL1B mice with advanced stage of disease (12-16 months old) were injected with the CXCR4-targeted, Sulfo-Cy5-labeled peptide (MK007), and ex vivo wide-field imaging of the whole stomach was performed 4 h after injection. Before ex vivo imaging, fluorescence endoscopy was performed in three L2-IL1B mice (12-14 months old) by a novel imaging system with two L2-IL1B mice used as negative controls.
Results:
Ex vivo imaging and endoscopy in L2-IL1B mice showed that the CXCR4-targeted MK007 accumulated mostly in the dysplastic lesions with a mean target-to-background ratio > 2. The detection of the Sulfo-Cy5 signal in dysplastic lesions and its co-localization with CXCR4 stained cells by confocal microscopy further confirmed the imaging results.
Conclusions:
This preliminary preclinical study shows that CXCR4-targeted fluorescence endoscopy using MK007 can detect dysplastic lesions in a mouse model of Barrett's esophagus. Further investigations are needed to assess its use in the clinical setting.
