Role of near-infrared heptamethine cyanine dye IR-783 in diagnosis of cervical cancer and its mechanism.

Near-IR fluorescence imaging is a novel modality and has great potential for detection of tumors. The goal of this study was to evaluate the value of the IR-783 dye, a near-infrared heptamethine carbocyanine, as an imaging agent for rapid detection of human cervical cancer and the underlying mechanism of IR-783 mediated imaging. The imaging was investigated in cervical cancer cells for detecting the uptake, accumulation and subcellular localization of IR-783 dye. Whole-body imaging of mice bearing human cervical cancer xenografts and freshly harvested clinical cervical cancer specimens were used for assessment of specific dye uptake and retention. Frozen tissue section was used for confirming the dye accumulation at the tissue and cellular levels. The detection of circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood spiked with cervical cancer cells was made. The results revealed that IR-783 dye could be specifically uptaken by cultured cervical cancer cells, human cervical cancer cell-spiked whole blood, human cervical cancer xenografts and freshly harvested human cervical cancer tissue, but not by normal cell tissues. In the present study, we proved that IR-783 has potential for detecting cervical cancer cells in clinical specimens and in circulating blood. It can be further developed as modality agent for deep tissue imaging of cervical cancer in clinic. IJCEP