Human serum albumin (HSA) coated liposomal indocyanine green for tumor imaging

In this study, a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent nanoprobe based on indocyanine green (ICG) was synthesized. In comparison with ICG solution, the resulting nanoprobe, namely HSA-lipid-ICG NPs, exhibited remarkable improvement in stability as well as higher NIR fluorescence intensity. The in vitro experimental results demonstrated that HSA-lipid-ICG NPs were nontoxic at physiologically relevant concentrations and could be efficiently uptaken by MCF-7 cells through endocytosis after 0.5 h incubation. The biodistribution of HSA-lipid-ICG NPs was evaluated in a mouse xenograft model. An optimized tumor contrast was observed after 8 h intravenous administration, while ICG solution had negligible effect. The tumor could be clearly detected and the signal lasted at least up to 24 h after injection. This nanoprobe may potentially serve as an ideal contrast agent for in vivo NIR fluorescence imaging. In this study, a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent nanoprobe based on indocyanine green (ICG) was synthesized.