Analytical Sciences


Abstract − Analytical Sciences, 30(2), 225 (2014).

Application of a Novel Near Infrared-Fluorescence Giant Vesicle- and Polymerasome-based Tissue Marker for Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Navigation
Hirosuke HATAYAMA,*1 Taro TOYOTA,*1,*2,*3 Hideki HAYASHI,*4,*5 Tomonori NOMOTO,*1 and Masanori FUJINAMI*1
*1 Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi, Inage, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
*2 Department of Bioinformatics, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo, Chiba 260-8670, Japan
*3 Department of Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
*4 Center for Frontier Medical Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi, Inage, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
*5 Department of Frontier Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo, Chiba 260-8670, Japan
In this study, we describe the development of a novel tissue marker that can be injected from within the digestive tract by using an endoscopic instrument, and visualized using near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging. The marker was prepared in three steps, (i) mixing NIR-fluorescent indocyanine green (ICG) with giant vesicles (GVs) of lecithin, (ii) suspending the ICG-containing giant vesicles (ICG-GV) in an oil phase dissolving polyglycerol-polyricinoleate (PGPR), and (iii) centrifugation of the suspension layered on a buffered solution to obtain a giant polymer vesicle (polymerasome) containing ICG-GV. We injected the tissue marker into the inner gastric surface of an anesthetized pig using an endoscopic syringe, and observed the injection site using a fluorescence laparoscopic camera. The diameter of the spot blur was approximately 2 cm over a 5-h period, demonstrating the utility of this procedure as a tissue marker for tumor marking, and suggesting its potential for assisting navigation during surgical procedures.