Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 639 Zhizaoju Rd., Shanghai, 200011, P. R. China.
Sports Medicine Institute of Fudan University, Department of Sports Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, P. R. China.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2023 Mar;10(7):e2206579. doi: 10.1002/advs.202206579. Epub 2023 Jan 1.
Advancements in lymphography technology are essential for comprehensive investigation of the lymphatic system and its function. Here, a shortwave infrared (SWIR) luminescence imaging of lymphatic vessels is proposed in both normal and lymphatic dysfunction in rat models with PbS quantum dots (PbS Qdots). The lymphography with PbS Qdots can clearly and rapidly demonstrate the normal lymphatic morphology in both the tail and hind limb. More importantly, compared to ICG, SWIR luminescence imaging with PbS Qdots can easily identify the dominant lymphatic vessel and node with higher luminescence signal in rats. Moreover, lymphatic pump is identified as segment contracting sections with a size of ≈1 cm in rat by in vivo SWIR lymphograhy, which propose a direct feature for precise evaluation of lymphatic function. Notably, in vivo SWIR luminescence imaging with PbS Qdots also clearly deciphers the in vivo pattern of morphological and function recovery from lymphatic system in rat model. In summary, SWIR luminescence imaging with PbS Qdots can improve the lymphography and thus deepen the understanding of the morphology and structure of the lymphatic system as well as lymphatic function such as lymphatic pump, which will facilitate the diagnosis of lymphatic dysfunction in the future.
淋巴管造影技术的进步对于全面研究淋巴管及其功能至关重要。在这里，我们提出了一种利用 PbS 量子点（PbS Qdots）进行短波长近红外（SWIR）荧光淋巴管成像的方法，可用于正常和淋巴功能障碍的大鼠模型。利用 PbS Qdots 进行淋巴管造影可以清晰、快速地显示尾部和后肢的正常淋巴管形态。更重要的是，与 ICG 相比，利用 PbS Qdots 进行 SWIR 荧光成像可以轻松识别大鼠中具有更高荧光信号的主导淋巴管和淋巴结。此外，体内 SWIR 淋巴管成像将淋巴管泵识别为约 1cm 大小的收缩节段，为精确评估淋巴管功能提供了直接特征。值得注意的是，利用 PbS Qdots 进行体内 SWIR 荧光成像还可以清晰地揭示大鼠模型中从淋巴管系统形态和功能恢复的体内模式。总之，利用 PbS Qdots 进行 SWIR 荧光成像可以改进淋巴管造影，从而加深对淋巴管系统形态和结构以及淋巴管功能（如淋巴管泵）的理解，这将有助于未来淋巴功能障碍的诊断。
