In situ orderly self-assembly strategy affording NIR-II-J-aggregates for in vivo imaging and surgical navigation
Zhe Li, Ping‐Zhao Liang, Li Xu, Xingxing Zhang, Ke Li, Qian Wu, Xiaofeng Lou, Tian‐Bing Ren, Lin Yuan, Xiaobing Zhang, Xiaobing Zhang, Xiaobing Zhang
Abstract
J-aggregation, an effective strategy to extend wavelength, has been considered as a promising method for constructing NIR-II fluorophores. However, due to weak intermolecular interactions, conventional J-aggregates are easily decomposed into monomers in the biological environment. Although adding external carriers could help conventional J-aggregates stabilize, such methods still suffer from high-concentration dependence and are unsuitable for activatable probes design. Besides, these carriers-assisted nanoparticles are risky of disassembly in lipophilic environment. Herein, by fusing the precipitated dye (HPQ) which has orderly self-assembly structure, onto simple hemi-cyanine conjugated system, we construct a series of activatable, high-stability NIR-II-J-aggregates which overcome conventional J-aggregates carrier's dependence and could in situ self-assembly in vivo. Further, we employ the NIR-II-J-aggregates probe HPQ-Zzh-B to achieve the long-term in situ imaging of tumor and precise tumor resection by NIR-II imaging navigation for reducing lung metastasis. We believe this strategy will advance the development of controllable NIR-II-J-aggregates and precise bioimaging in vivo.