Small molecule fluorophore and copolymer RGD peptide conjugates for ex vivo two-photon fluorescence tumor vasculature imaging

Biomolecules

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142961212007326

A method using small molecule and block copolymer RGD peptide conjugates was reported for deep ex vivo imaging of tumor vasculature in “whole” excised tumors using two-photon fluorescence microscopy (2PFM). The fluorescent probes were administered to mice via tail-vein injection, after which the tumors were excised, fixed, and imaged. Both RGD conjugates demonstrated specific targeting to tumor blood vessels, and this selectivity imparted excellent contrast in 2PFM micrographs that captured high-resolution 3-D images of the tumor vasculature up to depths of 830  um.