Novel fluorescent GLUT1 inhibitor for precision detection and fluorescence image-guided surgery in oral squamous cell...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical imaging
• Molecular diagnostics
• Cancer research

Background:

• Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) detection and surgical resection are critical for patient survival.
• Limited availability of targeted imaging probes hinders effective OSCC diagnosis and treatment.
• Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) is identified as a highly expressed biomarker in OSCC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a novel near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging probe for precise OSCC detection.
• To evaluate the probe's efficacy in fluorescence image-guided surgery for OSCC.
• To assess the probe's potential for clinical translation in OSCC management.

Main Methods:

• Bioinformatics analysis to identify OSCC-specific biomarkers.
• Immunohistochemical staining to validate GLUT1 expression in OSCC patient samples, cell lines, and xenografts.
• Synthesis of a novel NIRF probe (WZB117-IR820) based on a GLUT1 inhibitor.
• In vivo and ex vivo fluorescence imaging in orthotopic OSCC mouse models.
• Histopathological and immunohistochemical validation of probe performance.

Main Results:

• High and specific expression of GLUT1 was confirmed in OSCC.
• The synthesized WZB117-IR820 probe demonstrated specific tumor targeting in an OSCC mouse model.
• The probe facilitated precise fluorescence image-guided surgery, achieving complete tumor resection.
• Topical application of WZB117-IR820 enabled accurate OSCC delineation in a preclinical setting.
• No observable toxicity was noted with the WZB117-IR820 probe.

Conclusions:

• A novel NIRF imaging probe, WZB117-IR820, was successfully synthesized for OSCC.
• WZB117-IR820 shows significant potential for early OSCC detection and image-guided surgery.
• The probe's specificity for GLUT1 and lack of toxicity support its clinical translational application in OSCC management.