Click-Ready Perfluorocarbon Nanoemulsion for 19 F MRI and Multimodal Cellular Detection.

We describe an imaging probe platform that is readily modifiable to accommodate binding of different molecular targeting moieties and payloads for multimodal image generation. In this work, we demonstrate the utility of perfluorocarbon (PFC) nanoemulsions incorporating dibenzocyclooctyne (DBCO) by enabling postemulsification functionalization via a click reaction with azide-containing ligands. The addition of DBCO-lipid to the surfactant in PFC nanoemulsions did not affect nanoemulsion size or nanoemulsion stability. As proof-of-concept, fluorescent dye-azides were conjugated to PFC nanoemulsions, demonstrating the feasibility of functionalization the by click reaction. Uptake of the fluorescent PFC by macrophages was demonstrated both in cultured macrophages and in an acute inflammation mouse model, where fluorescence imaging and H/F magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were used for detection. Overall, these data demonstrate the potential of PFC nanoemulsions incorporating DBCO as a versatile platform for generating functionalized probes.