In vivo cancer iamging by poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ɛ-caprolactone) micelles containing a near-infrared probe

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Cho et al. Noninvasive near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging is a promising technique for the intraoperative assessment of solid tumor removal. We incorporated a lipophilic NIR probe, 1,1′-dioctadecyltetramethyl indotricarbocyanine iodide (DiR), in poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ɛcaprolactone) (PEG-b-PCL) micelles, resulting in DiR solubilization in water, occupying nanoscopic PEG-b-PCL micelles. DiR in a self quenched
or nonquenched state showed different kinetics of release from PEG-b-PCL micelles in vitro; however, both obtained high tumor delineation (tumor-to-muscle ratio of 30–43 from collected organs). These results suggest that PEG-b-PCL micelles with DiR are a promising nanosized imaging agent that will provide a basis for enhanced surgical guidance via NIR visualization of tumors.