Journal of Innovative Optical Health Sciences, Volume. 18, Issue 3, 2441001(2025)

Ultrabright quantum dots assisted in vivo NIR-II fluorescence microscopic imaging for brain metastases in triple-negative breast cancer

Yuxiang Gao1, Chi Zhang2, Lijun Zhu4, Zhong Du4, Rong Ma5, Le Guo3, Nuernisha Alifu1,3、*, and Xueliang Zhang1,3、**
Author Affiliations
  • 1State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of High Incidence Diseases in Central Asia, School of Medical Engineering and Technology, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi 830054, P. R. China
  • 2Department of Labor Health and Environmental Hygiene, School of Public Health, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi 830054, P. R. China
  • 3Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi 830054, P. R. China
  • 4The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi 841100, P. R. China
  • 5The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, P. R. China
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    Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive and often fatal disease, especially since the brain metastasis of TNBC has been a particularly severe manifestation. However, brain metastasis in TNBC at early stages often lacks noticeable symptoms, making it challenging to detect. Near-infrared II (NIR-II) fluorescence microscopic imaging obtains long wavelength, which enables reduced scattering, high spatial resolution and minimal autofluorescence, it is also a favorable imaging method for tumor diagnosis. PbS@CdS quantum dots (QDs) are one of the popular NIR-II fluorescence nanoprobes for well brightness. In this study, NIR-II emissive PbS@CdS QDs were utilized and further encapsulated with thiol-terminated poly(ethylene oxide) (SH-PEG, MW = 5000) to form PbS@CdS@PEG QDs nanoparticles (NPs). The obtained PbS@CdS@PEG QDs NPs were then characterized and further studied in detail. The PbS@CdS@PEG QDs NPs had large absorption spectra, exhibited strong NIR-II fluorescence emission at approximately 1300nm, and possessed good NIR-II fluorescence properties. Then, the mice model of early-stage brain metastases of TNBC was established, and the PbS@CdS@PEG QDs NPs were injected into the tumor-bearing mice for NIR-II fluorescence microscopic bioimaging. The brain vessels and tumors of the living mice were detected with high spatial resolution under the NIR-II fluorescence microscopic imaging system with irradiation of 808nm laser. The tumor tissues were further restricted and prepared as thin slices. The NIR-II fluorescence signals were collected from the tumor slices with high spatial resolution and signal-to-background ratio (SBR). Thus, the PbS@CdS@PEG QDs NPs-assisted NIR-II fluorescence microscopic system can effectively achieve targeting brain metastases of TNBC imaging, offering a novel and promising approach for TNBC-specific diagnosis.

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    Yuxiang Gao, Chi Zhang, Lijun Zhu, Zhong Du, Rong Ma, Le Guo, Nuernisha Alifu, Xueliang Zhang. Ultrabright quantum dots assisted in vivo NIR-II fluorescence microscopic imaging for brain metastases in triple-negative breast cancer[J]. Journal of Innovative Optical Health Sciences, 2025, 18(3): 2441001

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    Paper Information

    Category: Research Articles

    Received: Dec. 14, 2023

    Accepted: Feb. 27, 2024

    Published Online: Jun. 18, 2025

    The Author Email: Nuernisha Alifu (nens_xjmu@126.com), Xueliang Zhang (shuxue2456@126.com)

    DOI:10.1142/S1793545824410013

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