Dual-functional nanoprobe for real-time detection of tumor cells in murine models: A step toward clinical circulating tumor cells in vivo detection

Abstract

The detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood of cancer patients is crucial for cancer diagnosis and may serve as a valuable marker for the prediction of tumor progression, metastasis and prognosis. However, conventional CTCs isolation and identification methods, which depend on antibody-antigen interactions, are challenged by tumor heterogeneity, sometimes resulting in false positive signals. Additionally, background interference from hematological cells reduces detection specificity. Herein, in this study, we developed a type of polypeptides-based micellar nanoprobe for precise CTCs identification. The nanoprobe could sensitively target CTCs by the high affinity of hydrophilic dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) with overexpressed cell membrane protein glucose transporters (GLUT1) under hypoxic environment and report the “turn on” fluorescence signal via an endogenous glutathione (GSH)-activable near infrared (NIR) probe. Briefly, the nanoprobe was fabricated with a cross-linker L-lysine (PLys), a hydrophobic GSH-activable probe conjugated L-phenylalanine (PPhe-NSO) and a tumor targeting moiety, DHA-PEG-_S-S. The dual-functional nanoplatform enables real-time detection of tumor cells in murine models, representing a significant step toward clinical CTCs in vivo detection.