Cyanine derivatives are organic dyes widely used for optical imaging. However, their potential in longitudinal optoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy remains limited due to challenges such as poor chemical stability, poor photostability, and low photothermal conversion. In this study, we present a new structural modification for cyanine dyes by introducing a strongly electron-withdrawing group (barbiturate), resulting in a new series of barbiturate-cyanine dyes (BC810, BC885, and BC1010) with suppressed fluorescence and enhanced stability. Furthermore, the introduction of BC1010 into block copolymers (PEG-b-PCL) induces aggregation-caused quenching, further boosting the photothermal performance. The photophysical properties of nanoparticles (BC1010-NPs) include their remarkably broad absorption range from 900 to 1200 nm for optoacoustic imaging, allowing imaging applications in NIR-I and NIR-II windows. The combined effect of these strategies, including improved photostability, enhanced nonradiative relaxation, and aggregation-caused quenching, enables the detection of optoacoustic signals with high sensitivity and effective photothermal treatment of tumor models when BC1010-NPs are administered before irradiation with a 1064 nm laser. This research introduces a barbiturate-functionalized cyanine derivative with optimal properties for efficient optoacoustics-guided theranostic applications. This new compound holds significant potential for biomedical use, facilitating advancements in optoacoustic-guided diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

中文翻译：

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通过巴比妥酸盐功能化和纳米制剂调节花青的光物理性质，以实现高效的光声引导光疗


花青衍生物是广泛用于光学成像的有机染料。然而，由于化学稳定性差、光稳定性差和光热转化率低等挑战，它们在纵向光声成像和光热治疗方面的潜力仍然有限。在这项研究中，我们通过引入强吸电子基团（巴比妥酸盐）对花青染料进行了新的结构修饰，产生了一系列新的巴比妥-花青染料（BC810、BC885和BC1010），其荧光受到抑制，稳定性增强。此外，将 BC1010 引入嵌段共聚物 (PEG-b-PCL) 会引起聚集引起的猝灭，进一步提高光热性能。纳米颗粒 (BC1010-NP) 的光物理特性包括其用于光声成像的 900 至 1200 nm 的非常宽的吸收范围，允许在 NIR-I 和 NIR-II 窗口中进行成像应用。这些策略的综合效应，包括提高光稳定性、增强非辐射弛豫和聚集引起的猝灭，使得在 1064 nm 激光照射前施用 BC1010-NP 时，能够以高灵敏度检测光声信号，并对肿瘤模型进行有效的光热治疗。这项研究介绍了一种巴比妥官能化花青衍生物，其具有最佳性能，可用于高效光声引导的治疗诊断应用。这种新化合物在生物医学应用方面具有巨大潜力，可促进光声引导诊断和治疗方法的进步。