Enhanced Near-Infrared-Excitable Organic Afterglow Nanoparticles for Deep-Tissue Multimodal Imaging via Singlet Oxygen-Mediated Energy Transfer

Afterglow imaging offers exceptional signal-to-background ratios (SBRs) by circumventing real-time excitation and autofluorescence, yet conventional systems rely on visible-light excitation, limiting tissue penetration and signal intensity. Here, we report near-infrared-excitable organic afterglow n...

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Main Authors: Yuzhen Yu, Zhe Li, Shiyi Liao, Baoli Yin, Qingpeng Zhang, Jiaqi Fu, Cheng Zhang, Ying Zhou, Guosheng Song
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2025-01-01
Series:Research
Online Access:https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0834
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author Yuzhen Yu
Zhe Li
Shiyi Liao
Baoli Yin
Qingpeng Zhang
Jiaqi Fu
Cheng Zhang
Ying Zhou
Guosheng Song
author_facet Yuzhen Yu
Zhe Li
Shiyi Liao
Baoli Yin
Qingpeng Zhang
Jiaqi Fu
Cheng Zhang
Ying Zhou
Guosheng Song
author_sort Yuzhen Yu
collection DOAJ
description Afterglow imaging offers exceptional signal-to-background ratios (SBRs) by circumventing real-time excitation and autofluorescence, yet conventional systems rely on visible-light excitation, limiting tissue penetration and signal intensity. Here, we report near-infrared-excitable organic afterglow nanoparticles (NOANPs) that leverage singlet oxygen (1O2)-mediated energy transfer to achieve prolonged, high-intensity emission with minimal photobleaching. The nanoparticles integrate a near-infrared-photoactive sensitizer (NAM-0), which generates abundant 1O2 under 808-nm laser excitation, and a triplenet-anthracene derivative (TD) as the afterglow substrate, which converts 1O2 into sustained luminescence. Co-encapsulation via one-step nanocoprecipitation ensures proximity between NAM-0 and TD, enabling efficient energy transfer and yielding exceptional afterglow brightness (>109 photons/s) at ultralow concentrations (10 μg/ml). NOANPs enable deep-tissue imaging (up to 3.0 cm ex vivo) by synergizing the superior penetration of near-infrared light with organic afterglow chemistry. The nanoparticles uniquely support three imaging modes: fluorescence, white light-activated afterglow, and near-infrared-triggered afterglow, which were validated in orthotopic murine models of pancreatic cancer and glioma. By synergizing near-infrared excitation with organic afterglow chemistry, this work overcomes longstanding limitations in penetration depth of excitation light, offering a versatile tool for precision imaging.
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spelling doaj-art-d56ee00d716d4c2796016e2dece2d8192025-08-20T03:05:42ZengAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Research2639-52742025-01-01810.34133/research.0834Enhanced Near-Infrared-Excitable Organic Afterglow Nanoparticles for Deep-Tissue Multimodal Imaging via Singlet Oxygen-Mediated Energy TransferYuzhen Yu0Zhe Li1Shiyi Liao2Baoli Yin3Qingpeng Zhang4Jiaqi Fu5Cheng Zhang6Ying Zhou7Guosheng Song8State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.Afterglow imaging offers exceptional signal-to-background ratios (SBRs) by circumventing real-time excitation and autofluorescence, yet conventional systems rely on visible-light excitation, limiting tissue penetration and signal intensity. Here, we report near-infrared-excitable organic afterglow nanoparticles (NOANPs) that leverage singlet oxygen (1O2)-mediated energy transfer to achieve prolonged, high-intensity emission with minimal photobleaching. The nanoparticles integrate a near-infrared-photoactive sensitizer (NAM-0), which generates abundant 1O2 under 808-nm laser excitation, and a triplenet-anthracene derivative (TD) as the afterglow substrate, which converts 1O2 into sustained luminescence. Co-encapsulation via one-step nanocoprecipitation ensures proximity between NAM-0 and TD, enabling efficient energy transfer and yielding exceptional afterglow brightness (>109 photons/s) at ultralow concentrations (10 μg/ml). NOANPs enable deep-tissue imaging (up to 3.0 cm ex vivo) by synergizing the superior penetration of near-infrared light with organic afterglow chemistry. The nanoparticles uniquely support three imaging modes: fluorescence, white light-activated afterglow, and near-infrared-triggered afterglow, which were validated in orthotopic murine models of pancreatic cancer and glioma. By synergizing near-infrared excitation with organic afterglow chemistry, this work overcomes longstanding limitations in penetration depth of excitation light, offering a versatile tool for precision imaging.https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0834
spellingShingle Yuzhen Yu
Zhe Li
Shiyi Liao
Baoli Yin
Qingpeng Zhang
Jiaqi Fu
Cheng Zhang
Ying Zhou
Guosheng Song
Enhanced Near-Infrared-Excitable Organic Afterglow Nanoparticles for Deep-Tissue Multimodal Imaging via Singlet Oxygen-Mediated Energy Transfer
Research
title Enhanced Near-Infrared-Excitable Organic Afterglow Nanoparticles for Deep-Tissue Multimodal Imaging via Singlet Oxygen-Mediated Energy Transfer
title_full Enhanced Near-Infrared-Excitable Organic Afterglow Nanoparticles for Deep-Tissue Multimodal Imaging via Singlet Oxygen-Mediated Energy Transfer
title_fullStr Enhanced Near-Infrared-Excitable Organic Afterglow Nanoparticles for Deep-Tissue Multimodal Imaging via Singlet Oxygen-Mediated Energy Transfer
title_full_unstemmed Enhanced Near-Infrared-Excitable Organic Afterglow Nanoparticles for Deep-Tissue Multimodal Imaging via Singlet Oxygen-Mediated Energy Transfer
title_short Enhanced Near-Infrared-Excitable Organic Afterglow Nanoparticles for Deep-Tissue Multimodal Imaging via Singlet Oxygen-Mediated Energy Transfer
title_sort enhanced near infrared excitable organic afterglow nanoparticles for deep tissue multimodal imaging via singlet oxygen mediated energy transfer
url https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0834
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