Analysis of Fluorescence Decay Kinetics of Indocyanine Green Monomers and Aggregates in Brain Tumor Model In Vivo.

Spectroscopic approach with fluorescence time resolution allows one to determine the state of a brain tumor and its microenvironment via changes in the fluorescent dye's fluorescence lifetime. Indocyanine green (ICG) is an acknowledged infra-red fluorescent dye that self-assembles into stable aggregate forms (ICG NPs). ICG NPs aggregates have a tendency to accumulate in the tumor with a maximum accumulation at 24 h after systemic administration, enabling extended intraoperative diagnostic. Fluorescence lifetime analysis of ICG and ICG NPs demonstrates different values for ICG monomers and H-aggregates, indicating promising suitability for fluorescent diagnostics of brain tumors due to their affinity to tumor cells and stability in biological tissue.