In vivo imaging of ferroptosis through nanodynamic changes in lipid membranes.

Ferroptosis emerged as a cell death modality for drug resistant cancer cells, but there are currently no available biomarkers for imaging ferroptosis based therapies. To address this gab, we evaluated the nanodynamic changes in lipid membranes occurring during cell death to explore potential targeting opportunities to image cell death. We nano-sized gaps at late stages of ferroptosis can serve as entry points for dyes that can bind to cellular structures.

Synthesis and Functionalization of Biodegradable Second Harmonic Generation Nanoprobes for Cell Targeting.

Optical imaging technologies and cell targeting have played a major role in detecting and treating diseases such as cancer. Bioharmonophores are optical imaging nanoprobes composed of biodegradable polymer-encapsulated, self-assembling triphenylalanine peptides. They produce a strong second harmonic generation (SHG) signal, a non-linear optical process in which two photons directed at a non-centrosymmetric medium combine to form a new photon with twice the energy.

Biodegradable Harmonophores for Targeted High-Resolution Tumor Imaging.

Optical imaging probes have played a major role in detecting and monitoring a variety of diseases. In particular, nonlinear optical imaging probes, such as second harmonic generating (SHG) nanoprobes, hold great promise as clinical contrast agents, as they can be imaged with little background signal and unmatched long-term photostability. As their chemical composition often includes transition metals, the use of inorganic SHG nanoprobes can raise long-term health concerns.

Image Correlation Spectroscopy with Second Harmonic Generating Nanoparticles in Suspension and in Cells.

The absence of photobleaching, blinking, and saturation combined with a high contrast provides unique advantages of higher-harmonic generating nanoparticles over fluorescent probes, allowing for prolonged correlation spectroscopy studies. We apply the coherent intensity fluctuation model to study the mobility of second harmonic generating nanoparticles. A concise protocol is presented for quantifying the diffusion coefficient from a single spectroscopy measurement without the need for separate point-spread-function calibrations.