Abstract
Clinical translation of photoacoustic imaging (PAI) has been limited by the lack of near-infrared (NIR) contrast agents with low toxicity required for regulatory approval. Herein, J aggregates of indocyanine green (ICG) with strong NIR absorbance were encapsulated at high loadings within small 77 nm polymersomes (nanocapsules) composed of poly(lactide-co-glycolide-b-poly(ethylene glycol)) (PLGA-b-PEG) bilayers, thus enabling PAI of of breast and ovarian cancer cells with high specificity and a sensitivity at the level of ∼100 total cells. All of the major components of the polymersomes are FDA approved and used in the clinic. During formation of polymersomes with a water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion process, loss of ICG from the ICG J aggregates was minimized by coating them with a layer of branched polyethylenimine and by providing excess "sacrificial" ICG to adsorb at the oil-water interfaces. The encapsulated J aggregates were protected against dissociation by the polymersome shell for 24 h in 100% fetal bovine serum, after which the polymersomes biodegraded and the J aggregates dissociated to ICG monomers.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 46437-46450 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 50 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 18 2019 |
Keywords
- J aggregates
- double emulsion
- encapsulation
- indocyanine green
- photoacoustic imaging
- polymersomes
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Materials Science