Deep-red polymer dots with bright two-photon fluorescence and high biocompatibility for in vivo mouse brain imaging

With high contrast and deep penetration, two-photon fluorescence (2PF) imaging has become one of the most promising in vivo fluorescence imaging techniques. To obtain good imaging contrast, fluorescent nanoprobes with good 2PF properties are highly needed. In this work, bright 2PF polymer dots (P dots) were applied for in vivo mouse brain imaging. Deep-red emissive P dots with PFBT as the donor and PFDBT5 as the acceptor were synthesized and used as a contrast agent. P dots were further encapsulated by poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (PSMA) and grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The P dots-PEG exhibit large two-photon absorption (2PA) cross-sections (delta >= 8500 g), good water dispersibility, and high biocompatibility. P dots-PEG was further utilized first time for in vivo vascular imaging of mouse ear and brain, under 690-900 nm femtosecond (fs) laser excitation. Due to the large 2PA cross-section and deep-red emission, a large imaging depth (similar to 720 mu m) was achieved.