Real-time And Dynamic Fluorescent Imaging Of Peripheral Nerves At The NIR-Ⅱ Window

The peripheral nervous system is the basis for maintaining various motor and sensory functions.Abnormal peripheral nerves can lead to a series of peripheral neurological conditions,such as paresthesia,pain,and spasms.The current clinical diagnostics relies mainly on clinical symptoms caused by peripheral nerve dysfunction,and there is currently no effective imaging method that would visually reflect peripheral neuropathy.Our research team developed a novel in vivo,in situ and immediate peripheral neuroimaging system based on near-infrared two-region(NIR-II)fluorescence imaging of motoneuron-specific expression of agrin(Agrin)of It can specifically bind to peripheral nerve membrane cells-Schwann cells(SCs,Schwann cells)-and to NIR-II imaging agent.This combination created sulfide quantum dots(Pb S Qds)by cross-linking agent to form Agrin@Pb S Qds compound in mice.Peripheral nerve images appeared 2 hours after injection.Furthermore,the NIR-II imaging agent Agrin@Pb S Qds compound prepared in this study is non-toxic,while the neurofluorescence label is bright and stable for 4 hours in vivo.The results of this study provide a new method for direct imaging of peripheral nerves in vivo,allowing an improved diagnostic imaging for clinical peripheral neuropathy.