Surfactant-Stripped Micelles With Aggregation-Induced Enhanced Emission For Bimodal Gut Imaging And Microbiota Tagging

Aggregation-induced emission luminogens(AIEgens)hold promise for biomedical imaging and new approaches facilitating their aggregation state are desirable for fluorescence enhancement.Herein,a series of surfactant-stripped AIEgen micelles(SSAMs)with improved fluorescence are developed by a low-temperature surfactant-stripping method to encapsulate AIEgens in temperature-sensitive Pluronic block copolymer.After stripping excessive surfactant,SSAMs exhibited altered optical properties,significantly higher fluorescence quantum yield.Using this method,a library of highly concentrated nanoparticles was generated with tunable absorption and emission wavelengths,permitting imaging of deep tissues at different environments.SSAMs remain physiologically stable and can pass safely through gastrointestinal tract(GI)without degradation in the harsh conditions,allowing for fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging of intestine.D-amino acids(DAA),a natural metabolite for bacteria,can be chemically conjugated on the surface of block copolymer,which enable ex vivo labeling of bacteria and imaging monitoring microbiota in GI.