Drug delivery monitoring by photoacoustic tomography with an ICG encapsulated double emulsion.

The absorption spectrum of indocyanine green (ICG), a nontoxic dye used for medical diagnostics, depends upon its concentration as well as the nature of its environment, i.e., the solvent medium into which it is dissolved. In blood, ICG binds with plasma proteins, thus causing changes in its photoacoustic spectrum. We successfully encapsulated ICG in an ultrasound-triggerable perfluorocarbon double emulsion that prevents ICG from binding with plasma proteins. Photoacoustic spectral measurements on point target as well as 2-D photoacoustic images of blood vessels revealed that the photoacoustic spectrum changes significantly in blood when the ICG-loaded emulsion undergoes acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV), which is the conversion of liquid droplets into gas bubbles using ultrasound. We propose that these changes in the photoacoustic spectrum of the ICG emulsion in blood, coupled with photoacoustic tomography, could be used to spatially and quantitatively monitor ultrasound initiated drug delivery. In addition, we suggest that the photoacoustic spectral change induced by ultrasound exposure could also be used as contrast in photoacoustic imaging to obtain a background free image.

Quantitative photoacoustic measurement of tissue optical absorption spectrum aided by an optical contrast agent.

In photoacoustic imaging, the intensity of photoacoustic signal induced by optical absorption in biological tissue is proportional to light energy deposition, which is the product of the absorption coefficient and the local light fluence. Because tissue optical properties are highly dependent on the wavelength, the spectrum of the local light fluence at a target tissue beneath the sample surface is different than the spectrum of the incident light fluence. Therefore, quantifying the tissue optical absorption spectrum by using a photoacoustic technique is not feasible without the knowledge of the local light fluence. In this work, a highly accurate photoacoustic measurement of the subsurface tissue optical absorption spectrum has been achieved for the first time by introducing an extrinsic optical contrast agent with known optical properties. From the photoacoustic measurements with and without the contrast agent, a quantified measurement of the chromophore absorption spectrum can be realized in a strongly scattering medium. Experiments on micro-flow vessels containing fresh canine blood buried in phantoms and chicken breast tissues were carried out in a wavelength range from 680 nm to 950 nm. Spectroscopic photoacoustic measurements of both oxygenated and deoxygenated blood specimens presented an improved match with the references when employing this technique.

Nanostructural organization and anion effects in the optical Kerr effect spectra of binary ionic liquid mixtures.

This article reports a study of the effect of anions on the optical Kerr effect (OKE) spectra of binary ionic liquid mixtures with one mixture comprising the 3-methyl-1-pentylimidazolium ([C 5mim] (+)) cation and the anions PF 6 (-) and CF 3CO 2 (-) (TFA (-)), and another mixture comprising the [C 5mim] (+) cation and the anions Br (-) and bis(trifluomethanesulfonyl)imide (NTf 2 (-)). The spectra were obtained by the use of optical heterodyne-detected Raman-induced Kerr Effect Spectroscopy at 295 K. The OKE spectra of the mixtures are compared with the calculated mole-fraction weighted sum of the normalized OKE spectra of the neat liquids. The OKE spectra are nearly additive for [C 5mim]Br/[C 5mim][NTf 2] mixtures, but nonadditive for [C 5mim][PF 6]/[C 5mim][TFA] mixtures. In the case of the equimolar [C 5mim][PF 6]/[C 5mim][TFA] mixture, the nonadditivity is such that the experimental OKE spectrum is narrower than the calculated OKE spectrum. The additivity or nonadditivity of OKE spectra for IL mixtures can be explained by assuming ionic liquids are nanostructurally organized into nonpolar regions and ionic networks. The ionic networks in mixtures will be characterized by "random co-networks" for anions that are nearly the same in size (PF 6 (-) and TFA (-)) and by "block co-networks" for anions that differ greatly in size (Br (-) and NTf 2 (-)).

Nanostructural organization and anion effects on the temperature dependence of the optical Kerr effect spectra of ionic liquids.

The intermolecular spectra of three imidazolium ionic liquids were studied as a function of temperature by the use of optical heterodyne-detected Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy. The ionic liquids comprise the 1,3-pentylmethylimidazolium cation ([C(5)mim]+), and the anions, bromide (Br-), hexafluorophosphate (PF(6)-), and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (NTf(2)-). Whereas the optical Kerr effect (OKE) spectrum of [C(5)mim][NTf(2)] is temperature-dependent, the OKE spectra of [C(5)mim]Br and [C(5)mim][PF6] are temperature-independent. These results are surprising in light of the fact that the bulk densities of these room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) are temperature-dependent. The temperature independence of the OKE spectra and the temperature dependence of the bulk density in [C(5)mim]Br and [C(5)mim][PF(6)] suggest that there are inhomogeneities in the densities of these liquids. The existence of density inhomogeneities is consistent with recent molecular dynamics simulations that show RTILs to be nanostructurally organized with nonpolar regions arising from clustering of the alkyl chains and ionic networks arising from charge ordering of the anions and imidazolium rings of the cations. Differences in the temperature dependences of the OKE spectra are rationalized on the basis of the degree of charge ordering in the polar regions of the RTILs.

Additivity in the optical kerr effect spectra of binary ionic liquid mixtures: implications for nanostructural organization.

Low-frequency spectra of binary room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) mixtures of 1-pentyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide and 1-pentyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide in the 0-250 cm(-1) region were studied as a function of mole fraction at 295 K. The spectra were obtained by use of optical heterodyne-detected Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy (OHD-RIKES). The spectra of these binary mixtures are well described by the weighted sums of the spectra for the neat RTILs. This surprising result implies that the intermolecular modes giving rise to the spectra of the neat liquids must also produce the spectra of the mixtures. Additivity of the OKE spectra can be explained by a model in which locally ordered domains are assumed to exist in the neat liquid with the structures of these locally ordered domains preserved upon mixing. Recently published molecular dynamics simulations show that RTILs are nanostructurally organized with ionic networks and nonpolar regions. If ionic networks also exist in the mixture, the additivity of the OKE spectra implies that there are "blocks" along the network of the mixture that are ordered in the same way as in the neat liquids. These "block co-networks" would have a nanostructural organization resembling that of a block copolymer.

Vibrational Photoacoustic Tomography: Chemical Imaging beyond the Ballistic Regime.

Proof-of-concept of vibrational photoacoustic tomography is demonstrated with a homebuilt Raman laser generating greater than 100 mJ of energy per pulse at 1197 nm wavelength. We employed this system for excitation of second overtone transition of C-H bonds. Vibrational photoacoustic signal from C-H rich polyethylene tube phantom placed under 3 cm thick chicken breast tissue was obtained with a signal to noise ratio of 2.5. Further, we recorded photoacoustic image of a polyethylene ring placed under 5 mm chicken tissue with excellent contrast. This development opens new opportunities of performing label free vibrational imaging in the deep tissue regime.

Photoacoustic tomography to identify inflammatory arthritis.

Identifying neovascularity (angiogenesis) as an early feature of inflammatory arthritis can help in early accurate diagnosis and treatment monitoring of this disease. Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) is a hybrid imaging modality which relies on intrinsic differences in the optical absorption among the tissues being imaged. Since blood has highly absorbing chromophores including both oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin, PAT holds potential in identifying early angiogenesis associated with inflammatory joint diseases. PAT is used to identify changes in the development of inflammatory arthritis in a rat model. Imaging at two different wavelengths, 1064 nm and 532 nm, on rats revealed that there is a significant signal enhancement in the ankle joints of the arthritis affected rats when compared to the normal control group. Histology images obtained from both the normal and the arthritis affected rats correlated well with the PAT findings. Results support the fact that the emerging PAT could become a new tool for clinical management of inflammatory arthritis.

Lifetime-based photoacoustic oxygen sensing in vivo.

The determination of oxygen levels in blood and other tissues in vivo is critical for ensuring proper body functioning, for monitoring the status of many diseases, such as cancer, and for predicting the efficacy of therapy. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, a lifetime-based photoacoustic technique for the measurement of oxygen in vivo, using an oxygen sensitive dye, enabling real time quantification of blood oxygenation. The results from the main artery in the rat tail indicated that the lifetime of the dye, quantified by the photoacoustic technique, showed a linear relationship with the blood oxygenation levels in the targeted artery.

Translational diffusion in sucrose benzoate near the glass transition: probe size dependence in the breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein equation.

The translational diffusion coefficient D(trans) for rubrene, 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene (BPEA), and tetracene in the fragile molecular glass-former sucrose benzoate (SB) (Tg=337 K) was studied as a function of temperature from Tg+3 K to Tg+71 K by use of the holographic fluorescence recovery after photobleaching technique. The values of D(trans) vary by five to six orders of magnitude in this temperature range. Contrary to the predictions of the Stokes-Einstein equation, the temperature dependence of probe diffusion in SB over the temperature range of the measurements is weaker than that of T/eta, where eta is the shear viscosity. In going from the crossover temperature Tx approximately 1.2Tg to Tg, D(trans)eta/T increases by factors of 2.4+/-0.2 decades for rubrene, 3.4+/-0.2 decades for BPEA, and 3.8+/-0.4 decades for tetracene. The decoupling between probe diffusion in SB and viscosity is characterized by the scaling law D(trans) approximately T/eta(xi), with xi=0.621 for tetracene, 0.654 for BPEA, and 0.722 for rubrene. Data for probe diffusion in SB are combined with data from the literature for probe diffusion in ortho-terphenyl and alphaalphabeta-tris(naphthyl)benzene in a plot of enhancement versus the relative probe size parameter rho(m)=(m(p)m(h))(1/3), where m(p) and m(h) are, respectively, the molecular weights of the probe and host solvent. The plot clearly shows a sharp increase in enhancement of translational diffusion at rho(m) approximately 1. By applying temperature shifts, D(trans) for probe diffusion in SB and the dielectric relaxation time tau(D) can be superimposed on a single master curve based on the Williams-Landel-Ferry equation. This suggests that the dynamics of probe diffusion in SB is described by the scaling relationship D(trans) approximately 1/tau(D)(T+DeltaT), where tau(D)(T+DeltaT) is the temperature-shifted dielectric relaxation time. The results from this study are discussed within the context of dynamic heterogeneity in glass-forming liquids.