Wide-field imaging of fluorescent deoxy-glucose in ex vivo malignant and normal breast tissue

Uptake of fluorescent D- and L-glucose analogues, 2-NBDG and 2-NBDLG, into human osteosarcoma U2OS cells in a phloretin-inhibitable manner

Mammalian cells take in d-glucose as an essential fuel as well as a carbon source. In contrast, l-glucose, the mirror image isomer of d-glucose, has been considered merely as a non-transportable/non-metabolizable control for d-glucose. We have shown that 2-[N-(7-Nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-NBDG), a d-glucose analogue combining a fluorophore NBD at the C-2 position, is useful as a tracer for monitoring d-glucose uptake through glucose transporters (GLUTs) into mammalian cells. To more precisely evaluate the stereoselectivity of 2-NBDG uptake, we developed an l-glucose analogue 2-NBDLG, the mirror-image isomer of 2-NBDG. Interestingly, 2-NBDLG was taken up into mouse insulinoma MIN6 cells showing nuclear heterogeneity, a cytological feature of malignancy, while remaining MIN6 cells only exhibited a trace amount of 2-NBDLG uptake. The 2-NBDLG uptake into MIN6 cells was abolished by phloretin, but persisted under blockade of major mammalian glucose transporters. Unfortunately, however, no such uptake could be detected in other tumor cell lines. Here we demonstrate that human osteosarcoma U2OS cells take in 2-NBDLG in a phloretin-inhibitable manner. The uptake of 2-NBDG, and not that of 2-NBDLG, into U2OS cells was significantly inhibited by cytochalasin B, a potent GLUT inhibitor. Phloretin, but neither phlorizin, an inhibitor of sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT), nor a large amount of d/l-glucose, blocked the 2-NBDLG uptake. These results suggest that a phloretin-inhibitable, non-GLUT/non-SGLT, possibly non-transporter-mediated yet unidentified mechanism participates in the uptake of the fluorescent l-glucose analogue in two very different tumor cells, the mouse insulinoma and the human osteosarcoma cells.

Spatially resolved measurement of dynamic glucose uptake in live ex vivo tissues

Highly proliferative cells depend heavily on glycolysis as a source of energy and biological precursor molecules, and glucose uptake is a useful readout of this aspect of metabolic activity. Glucose uptake is commonly quantified by using flow cytometry for cell cultures and positron emission tomography for organs in vivo. However, methods to detect spatiotemporally resolved glucose uptake in intact tissues are far more limited, particularly those that can quantify changes in uptake over time in specific tissue regions and cell types. Using lymph node metabolism as a case study, we developed an optimized method to detect dynamic and spatially resolved glucose uptake in living tissue by combining ex vivo tissue slice culture with a fluorescent glucose analogue. Live slices of murine lymph node were treated with the glucose analogue 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-dia-xol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxyglucose (2-NBDG). Incubation parameters were optimized to differentiate glucose uptake in activated versus naïve lymphocytes. Regional glucose uptake could be imaged at both the tissue level, by widefield microscopy, and at the cellular level, by confocal microscopy. Furthermore, the glucose assay was readily multiplexed with live immunofluorescence labelling to generate maps of 2-NBDG uptake across tissue regions, revealing highest uptake in T cell-dense regions. The signal was predominantly intracellular and localized to lymphocytes rather than stromal cells. Finally, we demonstrated that the assay was repeatable in the same slices, and imaged the dynamic distribution of glucose uptake in response to ex vivo T cell stimulation for the first time. We anticipate that this method will serve as a broadly applicable, user-friendly platform to quantify dynamic metabolic activities in complex tissue microenvironments.

L-Glucose: Another Path to Cancer Cells

Cancerous tumors comprise cells showing metabolic heterogeneity. Among numerous efforts to understand this property, little attention has been paid to the possibility that cancer cells take up and utilize otherwise unusable substrates as fuel. Here we discuss this issue by focusing on l-glucose, the mirror image isomer of naturally occurring d-glucose; l-glucose is an unmetabolizable sugar except in some bacteria. By combining relatively small fluorophores with l-glucose, we generated fluorescence-emitting l-glucose tracers (fLGs). To our surprise, 2-NBDLG, one of these fLGs, which we thought to be merely a control substrate for the fluorescent d-glucose tracer 2-NBDG, was specifically taken up into tumor cell aggregates (spheroids) that exhibited nuclear heterogeneity, a major cytological feature of malignancy in cancer diagnosis. Changes in mitochondrial activity were also associated with the spheroids taking up fLG. To better understand these phenomena, we review here the Warburg effect as well as key studies regarding glucose uptake. We also discuss tumor heterogeneity involving aberrant uptake of glucose and mitochondrial changes based on the data obtained by fLG. We then consider the use of fLGs as novel markers for visualization and characterization of malignant tumor cells.

Biomarker selection and imaging design in cancer: A link with biochemical pathways for imminent engineering

Malignant cells reprogram metabolic pathways to meet the demands of growth and proliferation. These altered manners of metabolism are now identified as hallmarks of cancer. Studies have revealed tumor cells alter specific pathways such as glycolysis, fatty acid synthesis and amino acid synthesis to support their proliferation. In this review, we provide a theoretical framework to understand metabolic reprogramming and the mechanisms accompanying distorted metabolism to tumor progression. How these alterations will be assisting in cancer diagnostics and advances in standard techniques in marker identification and imagining are also discussed.

Detection of Head and Neck Cancer in Surgical Specimens Using Quantitative Hyperspectral Imaging

Purpose: This study intends to investigate the feasibility of using hyperspectral imaging (HSI) to detect and delineate cancers in fresh, surgical specimens of patients with head and neck cancers.Experimental Design: A clinical study was conducted in order to collect and image fresh, surgical specimens from patients (N = 36) with head and neck cancers undergoing surgical resection. A set of machine-learning tools were developed to quantify hyperspectral images of the resected tissue in order to detect and delineate cancerous regions which were validated by histopathologic diagnosis. More than two million reflectance spectral signatures were obtained by HSI and analyzed using machine-learning methods. The detection results of HSI were compared with autofluorescence imaging and fluorescence imaging of two vital-dyes of the same specimens.Results: Quantitative HSI differentiated cancerous tissue from normal tissue in ex vivo surgical specimens with a sensitivity and specificity of 91% and 91%, respectively, and which was more accurate than autofluorescence imaging (P < 0.05) or fluorescence imaging of 2-NBDG (P < 0.05) and proflavine (P < 0.05). The proposed quantification tools also generated cancer probability maps with the tumor border demarcated and which could provide real-time guidance for surgeons regarding optimal tumor resection.Conclusions: This study highlights the feasibility of using quantitative HSI as a diagnostic tool to delineate the cancer boundaries in surgical specimens, and which could be translated into the clinic application with the hope of improving clinical outcomes in the future. Clin Cancer Res; 23(18); 5426-36. ©2017 AACR.

High-throughput screening of rare metabolically active tumor cells in pleural effusion and peripheral blood of lung cancer patients

Malignant pleural effusion (MPE), the presence of malignant cells in pleural fluid, is often the first sign of many cancers and occurs in patients with metastatic malignancies. Accurate detection of tumor cells in pleural fluid is crucial because the presence of MPE denotes an advanced stage of disease and directs a switch in clinical managements. Cytology, as a traditional diagnostic tool, has limited sensitivity especially when tumor cells are not abundant, and may be confounded by reactive mesothelial cells in the pleural fluid. We describe a highly sensitive approach for rapid detection of metabolically active tumor cells in MPE via exploiting the altered glucose metabolism of tumor cells relative to benign cells. Metabolically active tumor cells with high glucose uptake, as evaluated by a fluorescent glucose analog (2-NBDG), are identified by high-throughput fluorescence screening within a chip containing 200,000 addressable microwells and collected for malignancy confirmation via single-cell sequencing. We demonstrate the utility of this approach through analyzing MPE from a cohort of lung cancer patients. Most candidate tumor cells identified are confirmed to harbor the same driver oncogenes as their primary lesions. In some patients, emergence of secondary mutations that mediate acquired resistance to ongoing targeted therapies is also detected before resistance is manifested in the clinical imaging. The detection scheme can be extended to analyze peripheral blood samples. Our approach may serve as a valuable complement to cytology in MPE diagnosis, helping identify the driver oncogenes and resistance-leading mutations for targeted therapies.

Imaging hamster model of bile duct cancer in vivo using fluorescent L-glucose derivatives

Extrahepatic bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) has a poor prognosis. Since surgical resection is the only way to prolong the patient’s life, it is of critical importance to correctly determine the extent of lesions. However, conventional pre-operative assessments have insufficient spatial resolution for determining the surgical margin. A fluorescent contrast agent might provide a more precise measure to identify anomalies in biliary surface, when combined with probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE). We have previously shown that 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxy-l-glucose (2-NBDLG), a fluorescent derivative of l-glucose (fLG), is specifically taken up into spheroids consisting of cells showing heterogeneous nuclear-cytoplasm ratio, a feature of malignant cells in clinical settings. In addition, a combined use of 2-TRLG, a membrane-impermeable fLG, with 2-NBDLG visualized membrane integrity as well. We therefore explored in the present study the availability of the fLGs in vivo as a contrast agent for pCLE by using a hamster model of cholangiocarcinoma. Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma developed in mid common duct in ~20 % of the animals subjected to cholecystoduodenostomy with the ligation at the distal end of the common duct followed by injection of a carcinogen N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine. After infusing bile duct with a solution containing 2-NBDLG and 2-TRLG, the lumen was surgically exposed and examined by pCLE. Fluorescence pattern characterized by bright spots and dark clumps was detected in the areas diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma in later histopathology, whereas no such pattern was detected in control animals. These findings may form a basis for elucidating a potential availability of fLGs in imaging cholangiocarcinoma by pCLE.

Uptake of a fluorescent L-glucose derivative 2-NBDLG into three-dimensionally accumulating insulinoma cells in a phloretin-sensitive manner

Of two stereoisomers of glucose, only d- and not l-glucose is abundantly found in nature, being utilized as an essential fuel by most organisms. The uptake of d-glucose into mammalian cells occurs through glucose transporters such as GLUTs, and this process has been effectively monitored by a fluorescent d-glucose derivative 2-[N-(7-Nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-NBDG) at the single cell level. However, since fluorescence is an arbitrary measure, we have developed a fluorescent analog of l-glucose 2-[N-(7-Nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxy-l-glucose (2-NBDLG), as a negative control substrate for more accurately identifying the stereoselectivity of the uptake. Interestingly, a small portion of mouse insulinoma cells MIN6 abundantly took up 2-NBDLG at a late culture stage (≳10 days in vitro, DIV) when multi-cellular spheroids exhibiting heterogeneous nuclei were formed, whereas no such uptake was detected at an early culture stage (≲6 DIV). The 2-NBDLG uptake was persistently observed in the presence of a GLUT inhibitor cytochalasin B. Neither d- nor l-glucose in 50 mM abolished the uptake. No significant inhibition was detected by inactivating sodium/glucose cotransporters (SGLTs) with Na⁺-free condition. To our surprise, the 2-NBDLG uptake was totally inhibited by phloretin, a broad spectrum inhibitor against transporters/channels including GLUTs and aquaporins. From these, a question might be raised if non-GLUT/non-SGLT pathways participate in the 2-NBDLG uptake into spheroid-forming MIN6 insulinoma. It might also be worthwhile investigating whether 2-NBDLG can be used as a functional probe for detecting cancer, since the nuclear heterogeneity is among critical features of malignancy.

Highly selective and sensitive fluorescence chemosensor for the detection of palladium species based on Tsuji-Trost reaction

A new chemosensor 7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole-4-allyl-N-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)carbamate (NBDTC) was synthesized and utilized for palladium detection based on the Tsuji-Trost reaction. NBDTC displayed specific and ratiometric fluorescent responses toward palladium species. The chemosensor showed more than 50-fold enhancement in fluorescence intensity with the presence of PEG400 and palladium because NBDTC can be transformed to NBDT under palladium-catalyzing Tsuji-Trost reaction. NBDTC displayed high selectivity and sensitivity for palladium species with the detection limit of 1.13×10(-9) M.

Vital-dye-enhanced multimodal imaging of neoplastic progression in a mouse model of oral carcinogenesis

In this longitudinal study, a mouse model of 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide chemically induced tongue carcinogenesis was used to assess the ability of optical imaging with exogenous and endogenous contrast to detect neoplastic lesions in a heterogeneous mucosal surface. Widefield autofluorescence and fluorescence images of intact 2-NBDG-stained and proflavine-stained tissues were acquired at multiple time points in the carcinogenesis process. Confocal fluorescence images of transverse fresh tissue slices from the same specimens were acquired to investigate how changes in tissue microarchitecture affect widefield fluorescence images of intact tissue. Widefield images were analyzed to develop and evaluate an algorithm to delineate areas of dysplasia and cancer. A classification algorithm for the presence of neoplasia based on the mean fluorescence intensity of 2-NBDG staining and the standard deviation of the fluorescence intensity of proflavine staining was found to separate moderate dysplasia, severe dysplasia, and cancer from non-neoplastic regions of interest with 91% sensitivity and specificity. Results suggest this combination of noninvasive optical imaging modalities can be used in vivo to discriminate non-neoplastic from neoplastic tissue in this model with the potential to translate this technology to the clinic.

Mitigating fluorescence spectral overlap in wide-field endoscopic imaging

The number of molecular species suitable for multispectral fluorescence imaging is limited due to the overlap of the emission spectra of indicator fluorophores, e.g., dyes and nanoparticles. To remove fluorophore emission cross-talk in wide-field multispectral fluorescence molecular imaging, we evaluate three different solutions: (1) image stitching, (2) concurrent imaging with cross-talk ratio subtraction algorithm, and (3) frame-sequential imaging. A phantom with fluorophore emission cross-talk is fabricated, and a 1.2-mm ultrathin scanning fiber endoscope (SFE) is used to test and compare these approaches. Results show that fluorophore emission cross-talk could be successfully avoided or significantly reduced. Near term, the concurrent imaging method of wide-field multispectral fluorescence SFE is viable for early stage cancer detection and localization in vivo. Furthermore, a means to enhance exogenous fluorescence target-to-background ratio by the reduction of tissue autofluorescence background is demonstrated.

2-NBDG fluorescence imaging of hypermetabolic circulating tumor cells in mouse xenograft model of breast cancer

OBJECTIVES

To determine use of 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-NBDG) as a tracer for detection of hypermetabolic circulating tumor cells (CTC) by fluorescence imaging.

PROCEDURES

Human breast cancer cells were implanted in the mammary gland fat pad of athymic mice to establish orthotopic human breast cancer xenografts as a mouse model of circulating breast cancer cells. Near-infrared fluorescence imaging of the tumor-bearing mice injected with 2-DeoxyGlucosone 750 (2-DG 750) was conducted to assess glucose metabolism of xenograft tumors. Following incubation with fluorescent 2-NBDG, circulating breast cancer cells in the blood samples collected from the tumor-bearing mice were collected by magnetic separation, followed by fluorescence imaging for 2-NBDG uptake by circulating breast cancer cells, and correlation of the number of hypermetabolic circulating breast cancer cells with tumor size at the time when the blood samples were collected.

RESULTS

Human breast cancer xenograft tumors derived from MDA-MB-231, BT474, or SKBR-3 cells were visualized on near-infrared fluorescence imaging of the tumor-bearing mice injected with 2-DG 750. Hypermetabolic circulating breast cancer cells with increased uptake of fluorescent 2-NBDG were detected in the blood samples from tumor-bearing mice and visualized by fluorescence imaging, but not in the blood samples from normal control mice. The number of hypermetabolic circulating breast cancer cells increased along with growth of xenograft tumors, with the number of hypermetabolic circulating breast cancer cells detected in the mice bearing MDA-MB231 xenografts larger than those in the mice bearing BT474 or SKBR-3 xenograft tumors.

CONCLUSIONS

Circulating breast cancer cells with increased uptake of fluorescent 2-NBDG were detected in mice bearing human breast cancer xenograft tumors by fluorescence imaging, suggesting clinical use of 2-NBDG as a tracer for fluorescence imaging of hypermetabolic circulating breast cancer cells.

Diagnostic performance of two confocal endomicroscopy systems in detecting Barrett's dysplasia: a pilot study using a novel bioprobe in ex vivo tissue

BACKGROUND

There are currently 2 existing confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) platforms: probe-based CLE (pCLE) and endoscope-based CLE (eCLE) systems, each with its own criteria for identifying dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus (BE). The diagnostic performance of these 2 systems has not been directly compared.

DESIGN

Preclinical, feasibility study.

OBJECTIVES

We compared the interrater agreement and diagnostic performance of the pCLE and eCLE systems. In addition, we evaluated a new BE endomicroscopy criteria based on fluorescent glucose intensity uptake.

PATIENTS

Thirteen patients with Barrett's esophagus and high-grade dysplasia or early cancer undergoing 16 EMR.

INTERVENTION

CLE imaging was performed using two different probes with 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diaxol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxyglucose, a fluorescent glucose analog with preferential uptake in dysplastic mucosa to supply contrast. Four quadrants were imaged per specimen with a total of 64 imaged mucosal sites presented to three gastroenterologists.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS

Interobserver agreement and accuracy for dysplasia was assessed of images classified according to Miami criteria, stacked eCLE images classified using the Mainz criteria and a novel fluorescence intensity criteria.

RESULTS

The interrater agreements were 0.17, 0.68, and 0.87 for the Miami, Mainz, and the fluorescence intensity criteria, respectively. Overall accuracy in detecting dysplasia was 37% (95% CI, 30.3-43.9), 44.3% (95% CI, 37.3-50.9), and 78.6% (95% CI, 72.2-83.3) for the Miami, Mainz, and the fluorescence intensity criteria, respectively.

LIMITATIONS

This imaging technique and proposed fluorescence intensity criteria using 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diaxol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxyglucose in EMR tissue will require in vivo validation and cannot be directly used with the current eCLE and pCLE clinical applications.

CONCLUSIONS

In this preclinical feasibility study, the use of an eCLE system with a topical fluorescent contrast in ex vivo EMR tissue demonstrated higher interrater agreement and accuracy.

Rapid Stereomicroscopic Imaging of HER2 Overexpression in Ex Vivo Breast Tissue Using Topically Applied Silica-Based Gold Nanoshells

Tumor margin detection for patients undergoing breast conservation surgery primarily occurs postoperatively. Previously, we demonstrated that gold nanoshells rapidly enhance contrast of HER2 overexpression in ex vivo tissue sections. Our ultimate objective, however, is to discern HER2 overexpressing tissue from normal tissue in whole, nonsectioned, specimens to facilitate rapid diagnoses. Here, we use targeted nanoshells to quickly and effectively visualize HER2 receptor expression in intact ex vivo human breast tissue specimens. Punch biopsies of human breast tissue were analyzed after a brief 5-minute incubation with and without HER2-targeted silica-gold nanoshells using two-photon microscopy and stereomicroscopy. Labeling was subsequently verified using reflectance confocal microscopy, darkfield hyperspectral imaging, and immunohistochemistry to confirm levels of HER2 expression. Our results suggest that anti-HER2 nanoshells used in tandem with a near-infrared reflectance confocal microscope and a standard stereomicroscope may potentially be used to discern HER2-overexpressing cancerous tissue from normal tissue in near real time and offer a rapid supplement to current diagnostic techniques.

Noninvasive photoacoustic computed tomography of mouse brain metabolism in vivo

We have demonstrated the feasibility of imaging mouse brain metabolism using photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT), a fast, noninvasive and functional imaging modality with optical contrast and acoustic resolution. Brain responses to forepaw stimulations were imaged transdermally and transcranially. 2-NBDG, which diffuses well across the blood-brain-barrier, provided exogenous contrast for photoacoustic imaging of glucose response. Concurrently, hemoglobin provided endogenous contrast for photoacoustic imaging of hemodynamic response. Glucose and hemodynamic responses were quantitatively decoupled by using two-wavelength measurements. We found that glucose uptake and blood perfusion around the somatosensory region of the contralateral hemisphere were both increased by stimulations, indicating elevated neuron activity. While the glucose response area was more homogenous and confined within the somatosensory region, the hemodynamic response area had a clear vascular pattern and spread wider than the somatosensory region. Our results demonstrate that 2-NBDG-enhanced PACT is a promising tool for noninvasive studies of brain metabolism.

Advances in molecular imaging: targeted optical contrast agents for cancer diagnostics

Over the last three decades, our understanding of the molecular changes associated with cancer development and progression has advanced greatly. This has led to new cancer therapeutics targeted against specific molecular pathways; such therapies show great promise to reduce mortality, in part by enabling physicians to tailor therapy for patients based on a molecular profile of their tumor. Unfortunately, the tools for definitive cancer diagnosis - light microscopic examination of biopsied tissue stained with nonspecific dyes - remain focused on the analysis of tissue ex vivo. There is an important need for new clinical tools to support the molecular diagnosis of cancer. Optical molecular imaging is emerging as a technique to help meet this need. Targeted, optically active contrast agents can specifically label extra- and intracellular biomarkers of cancer. Optical images can be acquired in real time with high spatial resolution to image-specific molecular targets, while still providing morphologic context. This article reviews recent advances in optical molecular imaging, highlighting the advances in technology required to improve early cancer detection, guide selection of targeted therapy and rapidly evaluate therapeutic efficacy.