An Activatable NIR-II Fluorescent Reporter for In Vivo Imaging of Amyloid-β Plaques

Fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window holds great promise for in vivo visualization of amyloid-beta (A beta) pathology, which can facilitate characterization and deep understanding of Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, it has been rarely exploited. Herein, we report the development of NIR-II fluorescent reporters with a donor-pi-acceptor (D-pi-A) architecture for specific detection of A beta plaques in AD-model mice. Among all the designed probes, DMP2 exhibits the highest affinity to A beta fibrils and can specifically activate its NIR-II fluorescence after binding to A beta fibrils via suppressed twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) effect. With suitable lipophilicity for ideal blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetrability and deep-tissue penetration of NIR-II fluorescence, DMP2 possesses specific detection of A beta plaques in in vivo AD-model mice. Thus, this study presents a potential agent for non-invasive imaging of A beta plaques and deep deciphering of AD progression.