title: Enhancement and wavelength-shifted emission of Cerenkov luminescence using multifunctional microspheres.
abstract: Cerenkov luminescence (CL) imaging is a new molecular imaging modality that utilizes the photons emitted during radioactive decay when charged particles travel faster than the phase velocity of light in a dielectric medium. Here we present a novel agent to convert and increase CL emission at longer wavelengths using multimodal protein microspheres (MSs). The (64)Cu-labeled protein microspheres contain quantum dots (QDs) encapsulated within a high-refractive-index-oil core. Dark box imaging of the MSs was conducted to demonstrate the improvement in CL emission at longer wavelengths. To illustrate the versatile design of these MSs and the potential of CL in disease diagnosis, these MSs were utilized for in vitro cell targeting and ex vivo CL-excited QD fluorescence (CL-FL) imaging of atherosclerotic plaques in rats. It was shown that by utilizing both QDs and MSs with a high-refractive-index-oil core, the CL emission increases by four-fold at longer wavelengths. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these MSs generate both an in vivo and ex vivo contrast signal. The design concept of utilizing QDs and high-index core MSs may contribute to future developments of in vivo CL imaging.
authors.affiliation: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA. Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA. Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lawrence W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Dobrucki
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marjanovic
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Chaney
authors.forename: Kenneth S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Suslick
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Boppart
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003301:Copper Radioisotopes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005260:Female; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008027:Light; D008163:Luminescent Measurements / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008863:Microspheres; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000473:pathology*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D045663:Quantum Dots; D051381:Rats; D011920:Rats, Inbred WF; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D003301:Copper Radioisotopes