Dextran-Mimetic Quantum Dots for Multimodal Macrophage Imaging In Vivo, Ex Vivo, and In Situ.

ABSTRACT: Macrophages are white blood cells with diverse functions contributing to a healthy immune response as well as the pathogenesis of cancer, osteoarthritis, atherosclerosis, and obesity. Due to their pleiotropic and dynamic nature, tools for imaging and tracking these cells at scales spanning the whole body down to microns could help to understand their role in disease states. Here we report fluorescent and radioisotopic quantum dots (QDs) for multimodal imaging of macrophage cells in vivo, ex vivo, and in situ. Macrophage specificity is imparted by click-conjugation to dextran, a biocompatible polysaccharide that natively targets these cell types. The emission spectral band of the crystalline semiconductor core was tuned to the near-infrared for optical imaging deep in t

SUBMITTER: Deng H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8900655 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature