Full length articleFunctional computer-to-plate near-infrared absorbers as highly efficient photoacoustic dyes

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is an emerging modality in biomedical imaging. Photoacoustic effect is the basis for PAI, where a photoacoustic contrast agent absorbs optical pulses to initiate localized heating and rapid thermal expansion, thus generating thermoelastic stress waves. Therefore, ideal PAI dyes should have strong NIR light absorbance and high light-heat conversion efficiency. However, most current low molecular weight organic PAI contrast agents are fluorescent dyes, where the light-heat conversion efficiency is dramatically impaired due to the energy loss by fluorescence emission. Herein, we report a series of highly efficient photoacoustic dyes with COOH, NH2 and NHS ester functionalities, from an inexpensive industrial computer-to-plate NIR absorber (IR830 p-toluenesulfonate) that has a strong NIR absorbance but an extremely low fluorescence emission. In vitro and in vivo studies show that the functional IR830 dyes have low cytotoxicity, and are 2.1 folds brighter in photoacoustic imaging than traditional photoacoustic dye indocyanine green (ICG). The Lowest Limit of Quantification of the IR830 series dyes is as low as the 1/7 of that of ICG. These indicate that the functional IR830 dyes have great potential as highly efficient photoacoustic dyes.Statement of SignificancePhotoacoustic imaging (PAI) is an emerging modality in biomedical imaging. Ideal PAI dyes should have strong NIR absorbance and high light-heat conversion efficiency. However, most current low molecular weight organic PAI contrast agents are fluorescent dyes, where the light-heat conversion efficiency is dramatically impaired due to the energy loss by fluorescence emission. Herein we report a series of highly efficient functional photoacoustic dyes from an inexpensive industrial computer-to-plate NIR absorber (IR830) that has a strong NIR absorbance but an extremely low fluorescence emission. The functional IR830 dyes show low cytotoxicity, much brighter in photoacoustic imaging than traditional photoacoustic dye indocyanine green. These indicate that the functional IR830 dyes have great potential as highly efficient photoacoustic dyes.

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