An improved biocompatible probe for photoacoustic tumor imaging based on the conjugation of melanin to bovine serum albumin

A novel, highly biocompatible, well soluble melanin-based probe obtained from the conjugation of melanin macromolecule to bovine serum albumin (BSA) was tested as a contrast agent for photoacoustic tumor imaging. Five soluble conjugates (PheoBSA A-E) were synthesized by oxidation of dopamine (DA) in the presence of variable amounts of BSA. All systems showed the similar size and absorbance spectra, being PheoBSA D (DA:BSA ratio 1:2) the one showing the highest photoacoustic efficiency. This system was then selected for the investigations as it showed a marked enhancement of the photoacoustic (PA) contrast in the tumor region upon iv injection. Biodistribution studies confirmed the accumulation of PheoBSA D within the tumor region and showed fast renal elimination, lack of cell toxicity, and good hemocompatibility. A higher PA contrast enhancement was observed in the case of PC3 prostate tumor xenograft when compared to the TS/A breast one, likely reflecting different vascularization/extravasation properties between the two tumor murine models. The improved PA properties shown by PheoBSA D allowed to set up a 3D dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) approach that demonstrated a persistent increase of the PA signal in the tumor region for a long period. Overall, the herein reported results demonstrate that PheoBSA D is a promising blood pool contrast agent for in vivo PA imaging, particularly useful for the set-up of 3D DCE-PA approaches to monitor tumor vascular properties.