Fluorescent Phase-Changing Perfluorocarbon Nanodroplets as Activatable Near-Infrared Probes.

ABSTRACT: The sensitivity of fluorescence imaging is limited by the high optical scattering of tissue. One approach to improve sensitivity to small signals is to use a contrast agent with a signal that can be externally modulated. In this work, we present a new phase-changing perfluorocarbon nanodroplet contrast agent loaded with DiR dye. The nanodroplets undergo a liquid-to-gas phase transition when exposed to an externally applied laser pulse. This results in the unquenching of the encapsulated dye, thus increasing the fluorescent signal, a phenomenon that can be characterized by an ON/OFF ratio between the fluorescence of activated and nonactivated nanodroplets, respectively. We investigate and optimize the quenching/unquenching of DiR upon nanodroplets' vaporization in suspension, tissue-mimicki

SUBMITTER: Spatarelu CP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9266996 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature