Exogenous photoluminescent organic dyes have long been considered promising tools in biopharmaceutics and imaging due to their good biocompatibility. However, conventional luminophores often suffer from emission quenching, particularly under concentrated conditions or in the solid state, which hampers their application in certain biological settings. This issue is commonly known as aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ). In 2001, a groundbreaking discovery revealed an unconventional luminescence behavior—aggregation-induced emission (AIE)—which overturned the long-standing paradigm of ACQ. AIE materials exhibit enhanced fluorescence when aggregated, making them highly suitable for bioimaging applications where high local concentrations are typical. Over the past two decades, extensive research has led to the development of diverse AIEgens with tailored properties, enabling applications in stimuli sensing, optoelectronic devices, molecular detection, and especially in vivo bio-imaging.
Despite these advances, a critical challenge remains: the design of biologically excretable AIE dots that maintain high brightness and stability. For clinical translation, it is essential that nanomaterials not only perform efficiently but also safely exit the body after use. The lack of clear design principles for excretable AIEgens has limited progress in applying these agents in higher animals, particularly non-human primates. To address this gap, we report the rational design of PEGylated aggregation-induced emission dots named OTPA-BBT, which combine strong absorption, ultra-high near-infrared II (NIR-II) photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY of 13.ACVR1 Antibody MedChemExpress 6%), and efficient biological excretion pathways.VAV1 Antibody Biological Activity These dots emit bright fluorescence beyond 1100 nm and even into the NIR-IIb region (>1500 nm), offering unprecedented depth penetration and spatial resolution in deep-tissue imaging.PMID:34595530
Our study demonstrates the first successful application of such AIE dots in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), a primate model closely resembling human physiology and metabolism. Using intravenous or oral administration, we achieved real-time, noninvasive visualization of cerebral vasculature through a thinned skull at depths exceeding 600 µm, with sub-micron spatial resolution. Moreover, we conducted the first-ever noninvasive NIR-IIb fluorescence imaging of the gastrointestinal tract in marmosets, revealing fine structural details with rich high-spatial-frequency information. Crucially, post-administration tracking confirmed rapid clearance via hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal routes, providing compelling evidence of biosafety. These findings establish a new benchmark for next-generation AIE-based nanomedicine and pave the way toward clinical adoption in primates.MedChemExpress (MCE) offers a wide range of high-quality research chemicals and biochemicals (novel life-science reagents, reference compounds and natural compounds) for scientific use. We have professionally experienced and friendly staff to meet your needs. We are a competent and trustworthy partner for your research and scientific projects.Related websites: https://www.medchemexpress.com
