Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology of MOE, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University , Nanjing 210023, China.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Science, Nanjing University , Nanjing 210093, China.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2018 Feb 7;10(5):4359-4368. doi: 10.1021/acsami.7b12005. Epub 2018 Jan 23.
Brain imaging techniques enable visualizing the activity of central nervous system without invasive neurosurgery. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter. Its fluctuation in brain leads to a wide range of diseases and disorders, like drug addiction, depression, and Parkinson's disease. We designed near-infrared fluorescence dopamine-responsive nanoprobes (DRNs) for brain activity imaging during drug abuse and addiction process. On the basis of light-induced electron transfer between DRNs and dopamine and molecular wire effect of the DRNs, we can track the dynamical change of the neurotransmitter level in the physiological environment and the releasing of the neurotransmitter in living dopaminergic neurons in response to nicotine stimulation. The functional near-infrared fluorescence imaging can dynamically track the dopamine level in the mice midbrain under normal or drug-activated condition and evaluate the long-term effect of addictive substances to the brain. This strategy has the potential for studying neural activity under physiological condition.
脑成像技术使我们能够在不进行侵入性神经外科手术的情况下观察中枢神经系统的活动。多巴胺是一种重要的神经递质。其在大脑中的波动会导致多种疾病和障碍，如药物成瘾、抑郁和帕金森病。我们设计了近红外荧光多巴胺响应纳米探针 (DRNs)，用于在药物滥用和成瘾过程中进行大脑活动成像。基于 DRNs 与多巴胺之间的光诱导电子转移和 DRNs 的分子导线效应，我们可以在生理环境中追踪神经递质水平的动态变化，以及在尼古丁刺激下响应性神经元中神经递质的释放。功能近红外荧光成像可以动态跟踪正常或药物激活条件下小鼠中脑的多巴胺水平，并评估成瘾物质对大脑的长期影响。该策略有望用于研究生理条件下的神经活动。
