Polynuclear SmIIIPolyamidoamine-Based Dendrimer: A Single Probe for Combined Visible and Near-Infrared Live-Cell Imaging

We report herein the synthesis of a luminescent polynuclear dendritic structure (SmIII-G3P-2,3Nap) in which eight SmIII ions are sensitized by thirty-two 2,3-naphthalimide chromophores. Upon a single excitation wavelength, the dendrimer complex exhibits two types of emission in the visible and in the near-infrared (NIR) ranges. SmIII-G3P-2,3Nap was non-cytotoxic after 24 h of incubation and up to 2.5 μM. The ability of the SmIII-based probe to be taken up by cells was confirmed by confocal microscopy. Epifluorescence microscopy validated SmIII-G3P-2,3Nap as a versatile probe, capable of performing interchangeably in the visible or NIR for live-cell imaging. As both emissions are obtained from a single complex, the cytotoxicity and biodistribution are inherently the same. The possibility for discriminating the sharp SmIII signals from autofluorescence in two spectral ranges increases the reliability of analysis and reduces the probability of artifacts and instrumental errors.