title: Cross-Linked Fluorescent Supramolecular Nanoparticles as Finite Tattoo Pigments with Controllable Intradermal Retention Times.
abstract: Tattooing has been utilized by the medical community for precisely demarcating anatomic landmarks. This practice is especially important for identifying biopsy sites of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) due to the long interval (i.e., up to 3 months) between the initial diagnostic biopsy and surgical treatment. Commercially available tattoo pigments possess several issues, which include causing poor cosmesis, being mistaken for a melanocytic lesion, requiring additional removal procedures when no longer desired, and potentially inducing inflammatory responses. The ideal tattoo pigment for labeling of skin biopsy sites for NMSC requires (i) invisibility under ambient light, (ii) fluorescence under a selective light source, (iii) a finite intradermal retention time (ca. 3 months), and (iv) biocompatibility. Herein, we introduce cross-linked fluorescent supramolecular nanoparticles (c-FSNPs) as a "finite tattoo" pigment, with optimized photophysical properties and intradermal retention time to achieve successful in vivo finite tattooing. Fluorescent supramolecular nanoparticles encapsulate a fluorescent conjugated polymer, poly[5-methoxy-2-(3-sulfopropoxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MPS-PPV), into a core via a supramolecular synthetic approach. FSNPs which possess fluorescent properties superior to those of the free MPS-PPV are obtained through a combinatorial screening process. Covalent cross-linking of FSNPs results in micrometer-sized c-FSNPs, which exhibit a size-dependent intradermal retention. The 1456 nm sized c-FSNPs display an ideal intradermal retention time (ca. 3 months) for NMSC lesion labeling, as observed in an in vivo tattoo study. In addition, the c-FSNPs induce undetectable inflammatory responses after tattooing. We believe that the c-FSNPs can serve as a "finite tattoo" pigment to label potential malignant NMSC lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging (CIMI), California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), Institute for Molecular Medicine (IMED), University of California , Los Angeles, California 90095-1770, United States.
authors.forename: Jin-Sil
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging (CIMI), California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), Institute for Molecular Medicine (IMED), University of California , Los Angeles, California 90095-1770, United States.|Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of TCM, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine , Guangzhou 510405, China.
authors.forename: Yazhen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California 90033-9061, United States.
authors.forename: Hongsheng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging (CIMI), California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), Institute for Molecular Medicine (IMED), University of California , Los Angeles, California 90095-1770, United States.
authors.forename: Parham
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peyda
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging (CIMI), California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), Institute for Molecular Medicine (IMED), University of California , Los Angeles, California 90095-1770, United States.
authors.forename: Thuy Tien
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica , Nangang, Taipei 115, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Mo Yuan
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), University of California , Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.
authors.forename: Yang Michael
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California 90033-9061, United States.
authors.forename: Jingyi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California 90033-9061, United States.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica , Nangang, Taipei 115, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Mandy M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica , Nangang, Taipei 115, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Shih-Sheng
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), University of California , Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica , Nangang, Taipei 115, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Hsiao-Hua
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California 90033-9061, United States.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA , Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.
authors.forename: Gary S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging (CIMI), California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), Institute for Molecular Medicine (IMED), University of California , Los Angeles, California 90095-1770, United States.
authors.forename: Hsian-Rong
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9028-8527
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Tseng
mesh_terms: D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000737:chemistry*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010858:Pigmentation; D013653:Tattooing; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D046911:Macromolecular Substances
keywords: controllable intradermal retention time; cross-linking; finite tattoo; fluorescent conjugated polymer; supramolecular nanoparticles