RGD conjugated, Cy5.5 labeled polyamidoamine dendrimers for targeted near-infrared fluorescence imaging of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

The early detection of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), one of the most common human neoplasms, is of great importance in improving prognosis. However, there is a lack of screening methods with high sensitivity for early diagnosis of ESCC. In this study, we developed a αvβ3 integrin targeted near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence nanoprobe by conjugation of NIR dye Cy5.5 and tumor vasculature targeted cyclic RGDfK peptide onto a polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer (RGD–PEG–PAMAM–Cy5.5). The applicability of the as-prepared targeted nanoprobe for NIR fluorescence imaging of 4-NQO induced large and tiny esophageal neoplasms in mice was examined. It was demonstrated that the NIR fluorescence imaging with our targeted nanoprobe enables the identification of ESCC at an early stage.