title: Reaction-Based Semiconducting Polymer Nanoprobes for Photoacoustic Imaging of Protein Sulfenic Acids.
abstract: Protein sulfenic acids play a key role in oxidative signal transduction of many biological and pathological processes; however, current chemical tools rely on visible fluorescence signals, limiting their utility to in vitro assays. We herein report reaction-based semiconducting polymer nanoprobes (rSPNs) with near-infrared absorption for in vivo photoacoustic (PA) imaging of protein sulfenic acids. rSPNs comprise an optically active semiconducting polymer as the core shielded with inert silica and poly(ethylene glycol) corona. The sulfenic acid reactive group (1,3-cyclohexanedione) is efficiently conjugated to the surface of nanoparticles via click chemistry. Such a nanostructure enables the specific recognition reaction between rSPNs and protein sulfenic acids without compromising the fluorescence and PA properties. In addition to in vitro tracking of the production of protein sulfenic acids in cancer cells under oxidative stress, rSPNs permit real-time PA and fluorescence imaging of protein sulfenic acids in tumors of living mice. This study thus not only demonstrates the first reaction-based PA probes with submolecular level recognition ability but also highlights the opportunities provided by hybrid nanoparticles for advanced molecular imaging.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 637457.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 637457.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhen
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 637457.|School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 637551.
authors.forename: Yansong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 637457.
authors.forename: Kanyi
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8064-6009
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D061848:Optical Imaging; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010316:Particle Size; D061088:Photoacoustic Techniques; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012666:Semiconductors; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013434:Sulfenic Acids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D013499:Surface Properties; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D013434:Sulfenic Acids; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols
keywords: organic nanoparticles; photoacoustic imaging; reaction-based probes; sulfenic acids