Highly water-soluble, near-infrared emissive BODIPY polymeric dye bearing RGD peptide residues for cancer imaging

Shilei Zhu, Michigan Technological University
Jingtuo Zhang, Michigan Technological University
Jagadeesh Janjanam, Michigan Technological University
Jianheng Bi, Michigan Technological University
Giri Vegesna, Michigan Technological University
Ashutosh Tiwari, Michigan Technological University
Fen Tair Luo, Academia Sinica, Institute of Chemistry
Jianjun Wei, CFD Research Corporation
Haiying Liu, Michigan Technological University

Abstract

Near-infrared emissive BODIPY polymeric dye bearing cancer-homing cyclic arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide residues (polymer B) was prepared by post-polymerization functionalization of BODIPY polymeric dye bearing bromo groups through tetra(ethylene glycol) tethered spacers (polymer A) with thiol-functionalized RGD cancer-homing peptide through thioether bonds under a mild basic condition. Polymer B possesses excellent water solubility, good photostability, biocompatibility and resistance to nonspecific interactions to normal endothelial cells, and can efficiently detect breast tumor cells through specific cooperative binding of cancer-homing RGD peptides to αvβ3 integrins of cancer cells while its parent polymer A without RGD residues fails to target cancer cells. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.