ROS and Caspase-3 Dual-Activated Photoacoustic Probe for Enhanced Imaging of Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
Penghao Zhen1, Xianbao Sun2, Ya Hu1
1Department of Cardiology, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao, Nanjing 210009, China.
Analytical Chemistry
|October 24, 2025
Summary
A novel dual-activated photoacoustic probe (P1) detects myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) injury by responding to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and caspase-3. This probe enhances imaging sensitivity for cardiac pathology diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Molecular Imaging
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) injury poses significant clinical challenges.
- Effective imaging techniques for MI/R damage detection are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a dual-activated photoacoustic (PA) probe for sensitive MI/R injury detection.
- To target key MI/R biomarkers: reactive oxygen species (ROS) and caspase-3.
Main Methods:
- Design of a dual-activated PA probe (P1) with specific functional domains.
- In vitro and in vivo evaluation in hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced cardiomyocytes and a murine MI/R model.
- Assessment of PA signal enhancement upon dual activation by ROS and caspase-3.
Main Results:
- P1 exhibited significant PA signal enhancement (6.9-fold in vitro, 5.3-fold in cardiomyocytes, 4.8-fold in vivo).
- Dual activation by ROS and caspase-3 was crucial for probe response.
- Control probes lacking dual-responsiveness showed weaker signals.
Conclusions:
- The developed dual-activated PA probe enables specific and sensitive imaging of MI/R injury.
- This strategy holds promise for improved cardiac pathology diagnostics.
- The probe's design addresses the need for advanced MI/R detection methods.
