Hypoxia-Responsive Luminescent CEST MRI Agent forIn VitroandInVivoTumor Detection and Imaging

摘要

Hypoxia is a feature of most solid tumors and a keydeterminant of cancer growth and propagation. Sensing hypoxiaeffectively could lead to more favorable clinical outcomes. Here, wereport a molecular antenna-based bimodal probe designed toexploit the complementary advantages of magnetic resonance(MR)- and optical-based imaging. Specifically, we describe thesynthesis and evaluation of a dual-action probe (NO2-Eu) thatpermits hypoxia-activated chemical exchange saturation transfer(CEST) MR and optical imaging. In CT26 cells, thisNO2-Euprobe not only provides an enhanced CEST MRI signal but alsoturns"on"the optical signal under hypoxic conditions. Time-dependentin vivoCEST imaging in a hypoxic CT26 tumorxenograft mouse model revealed probe-dependent tumor detectionby CEST MRI contrast in the tumor area. We thus suggest that dual-action hypoxia probes, like that reported here, could have a roleto play in solid tumor diagnosis and monitoring