Novel NIR-II fluorescent probes for biliary atresia imaging

Biliary atresia is a rare infant disease that predisposes patients to liver transplantation and death if not treated in time. However, early diagnosis is challenging because the clinical manifestations and laboratory tests of biliary atresia overlap with other cholestatic diseases. Therefore, it is very important to develop a simple, safe and reliable method for the early diagnosis of biliary atresia. Herein, a novel NIR-II fluorescence probe, HZL2, with high quantum yield, excellent biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity and rapid excretion through the liver and gallbladder was developed based on the oil/water partition coefficient and permeability. A simple fecal sample after injection of HZL2 can be used to efficiently identify the success of the mouse model of biliary atresia for the first time, allowing for an early diagnosis of the disease. This study not only developed a simple and safe method for the early diagnosis of biliary atresia with great potential in clinical translation but also provides a research tool for the development of pathogenesis and therapeutic medicines for biliary atresia.

Advances in second near-infrared fluorescent nanoprobes-based in vivo imaging for biomedical applications / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

Besides the advantages of high sensitivity, non-invasive, and real-time imaging that the general optical imaging technologies have, the second near-infrared (1 000-1 700 nm) in vivo imaging is regarded as one of the most promising optical imaging technologies in clinical applica-tion at present due to its advantages such as low autofluorescence background, deep tissue penetration and clear imaging. In the second near-infrared imaging system, the fluorescence probe is the most critical technical difficulty and the current research hotspot. Thereinto, due to the unique physical and chemical properties of nanomaterials, the second near-infrared fluorescent nanoprobe is an ideal contrast agent for the current second near-infrared optical imaging technology. The reported inorganic materials that can be used as the second near-infrared fluores-cent nanoprobes include quantum dots, rare earth nanoparticles, and single-walled carbon nanotubes, and the reported organic materials are mainly conjugated polymers. In this paper, the research progresses of the second near-infrared fluorescence nanoprobes mentioned above are re-viewed in order to better understand their application to the field of biomedicine, and promote the further research and clinical application of the second near-infrared in vivo imaging to the biomedical field.