In vivo bioluminescence imaging of labile iron in xenograft models and liver using FeAL-1, an iron-activatable form of D-luciferin.

ABSTRACT: Dysregulated iron homeostasis underlies diverse pathologies, from ischemia-reperfusion injury to epithelial-mesenchymal transition and drug-tolerant "persister" cancer cell states. Here, we introduce ferrous iron-activatable luciferin-1 (FeAL-1), a small-molecule probe for bioluminescent imaging of the labile iron pool (LIP) in luciferase-expressing cells and animals. We find that FeAL-1 detects LIP fluctuations in cells after iron supplementation, depletion, or treatment with hepcidin, the master regulator of systemic iron in mammalian physiology. Utilizing FeAL-1 and a dual-luciferase reporter system, we quantify LIP in mouse liver and three different orthotopic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumors. We observed up to a 10-fold increase in FeAL-1 bioluminescent signal in xenograft tumo

SUBMITTER: Gonciarz RL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10841594 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature