Boronate-based F-19 NMR/MRI Molecular Probe for Activatable Deep-tissue Imaging of Reactive Oxygen Species

Reactive oxygen species(ROS),such as hydrogen peroxide,are playing critical roles in various physiological and pathological processes of organisms. There is a close correlation between abnormal levels of ROS and disease conditions including inflammation,tumor,and organ injuries,which renders ROS detection attractive as an important tool for the research and diagnosis of these diseases. However,imaging ROS in deep tissues of living subjects remains challenging. In this paper,we report the development of an activatable F-19 magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)probe(Gd-DPBF)for sensing and imaging of generic ROS in living mice. Gd-DPBF is composed of a gadolinium chelate and a fluorinated moiety via a ROS-responsive aromatic boronate linkage. The capacity of Gd-DPBF for visualizing generic ROS in deep tissues and in the tumors of living mice is validated by a series of ex vivo and in vivo imaging experiments,illustrating its promising potential for in-depth and background-free imaging of various ROS-related biological processes in living subjects.