Tuning nanoparticle core composition drives orthogonal fluorescence amplification for enhanced tumour imaging

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Oncology

Background:

• Accurate tumour margin delineation and metastasis identification are critical for effective image-guided surgery.
• Current optical nanoprobes often suffer from limited signal amplification, hindering precise tumour visualization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate ultra-pH-sensitive nanoprobes (HUNPs) with tunable hydrophobicity for enhanced tumour microenvironment signal amplification.
• To improve intracellular bioavailability and tumour accumulation of nanoprobes for superior cancer detection.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized a library of hydrophobic core-tunable ultra-pH-sensitive nanoprobes (HUNPs).
• Investigated the effect of core hydrophobicity on cellular association and internalization efficiency in tumour models.
• Assessed the fluorescence signal amplification and tumour delineation capabilities of HUNPs in vivo.

Main Results:

• Tuning nanoparticle core hydrophobicity increased HUNP cellular association over tenfold.
• Achieved high cellular internalization efficiency of up to 50% in tumours.
• HUNPs demonstrated orthogonally amplified fluorescence signals, enabling precise tumour margin delineation with high contrast and resolution.

Conclusions:

• Hydrophobic core-tunable ultra-pH-sensitive nanoprobes (HUNPs) offer a promising strategy for enhanced cancer detection.
• HUNPs provide key insights into designing nanomedicines with high intracellular bioavailability for improved diagnostics and therapeutics.
• This approach facilitates precise localization and delineation of malignant tissues in image-guided surgery.