Cartilage-targeting fluorophores for early detection of arthritis in the NIR-II window
Open accessAbstract
Early diagnosis is crucial for the effective treatment of rheumatoid arthritis because continuing inflammation can lead to irreversible joint damage. However, current diagnostic methods lack tissue-specific guidelines to monitor the progressive course of degenerative joint diseases. Here, we demonstrate that cartilage-targeting fluorophores (CARFs) exhibit a remarkable cartilage-specific affinity and offer advanced imaging capabilities in the near-infrared II (NIR-II) window, characterized by minimal tissue scattering and negligible autofluorescence. CARFs show little to no toxicity, both in vitro (up to 100 μM) and in vivo (3 μmol/kg via intravenous injection), suggesting clinical potential. Furthermore, CARFs in the NIR-II window enable the precise visualization of cartilage lining, serving as a reliable diagnostic indicator for the early detection of arthritis in preclinical mouse models. CARFs are NIR fluorescence-emitting targeted contrast agents for prognostic imaging of joint tissue, with the potential to revolutionize applications in tissue engineering, joint surgery, and drug development for inflammatory diseases.
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Targeted molecular design overcomes the nonspecific accumulation and low selectivity that limit the in vivo performance of NIR-II cyanine fluorophores.
“Targeted molecular design represents a pivotal approach to overcoming the nonspecific accumulation and low selectivity that limit the in vivo performance of NIR-II cyanine fluorophores103.”
From Organic small-molecule NIR-II fluorophores for tumor phototheranostics (2026) · cites this paper as [103]
The Discussion (page not provided) identifies lack of effective targeting as a limitation of existing dyes for arthritis imaging and describes a targeting strategy to address it. The Results (page not provided) report selective cartilage targeting and reduced background signal with the designed NIR-II fluorophore. The paper does not establish nonspecific accumulation and low selectivity as limitations of NIR-II cyanine fluorophores generally, so the claim extends beyond its findings. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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Organic small-molecule NIR-II fluorophores for tumor phototheranostics
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“Targeted molecular design represents a pivotal approach to overcoming the nonspeci fi c accumulation and low selectivity that limit the in vivo performance of NIR-II cyanine fl uorophores 103 .”
- Authors
- Kang, H., Park, S. H., Ozmen, G. E., Hur, W., Dinh, J., Wang, H., Nguyen, V., Ahn, S., Yamashita, A., Stiles, W. R., Kashiwagi, S., Bao, K., Henary, M., & Choi, H. S.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Georgia State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Henary, Maged
- Choi, Hak Soo
- ORCID
- Venue
- Chem
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2025-08
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 102481
- ISSN
- 2451-9294 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC12646514
- OpenAlex
- W4408366255
- Cited by
- 17
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17
- FWCI
- 2.12
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/open-access/userlicense/1.0/ (am, 378 d)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-017 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-037 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-012 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-029 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-004 (stm-asf)
- Locations
- Chem (acceptedVersion)
- SSRN Electronic Journal (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute (R01CA280968)
- Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare (RS-2024-00436472)
- National Institutes of Health
- Korea Health Industry Development Institute
- Korea Ministry of Science and ICT (RS-2024-00466887)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Spectroscopy › Molecular Sensors and Ion Detection
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rheumatology › Osteoarthritis Treatment and Mechanisms
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Luminescence and Fluorescent Materials
- Keywords
- rheumatoid arthritis, early diagnosis, near-infrared fluorescence imaging, contrast media, autofluorescence, toxicity, joint degeneration, preclinical mouse models
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