A cyanine based fluorophore emitting both single photon near-infrared fluorescence and two-photon deep red fluorescence in aqueous solution.

Optical imaging provides an indispensable way to locate tumors in their early stages with high sensitivity and signal to background ratio. A heptamethine cyanine based fluorophore that emits both single photon near-infrared fluorescence and two-photon deep red fluorescence under physiological conditions was developed. Linear and nonlinear photophysical properties of this fluorophore were investigated and it demonstrated the capability to label lysosomes in cancer cells. The advantages of this fluorophore, including tolerable cytotoxicity, high fluorescence quantum yield, and the ability to emit both near-infrared single photon fluorescence and deep red two photon fluorescence in aqueous solution, give it potential to be used in intra-operatively optical image-guided tumor excision followed by two-photon fluorescence microscopy biopsy analysis after a single administration.

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