Single-particle imaging of nanomedicine entering the brain

Nanomedicine has emerged as a revolutionary strategy of drug delivery. However, fundamentals of the nano–neuro interaction are elusive. In particular, whether nanocarriers can cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and release the drug cargo inside the brain, a basic process depicted in numerous books and reviews, remains controversial. Here, we develop an optical method, based on stimulated Raman scattering, for imaging nanocarriers in tissues. Our method achieves a suite of capabilities—single-particle sensitivity, chemical specificity, and particle counting capability. With this method, we visualize individual intact nanocarriers crossing the BBB of mouse brains and quantify the absolute number by particle counting. The fate of nanocarriers after crossing the BBB shows remarkable heterogeneity across multiple scales. With a mouse model of aging, we find that blood–brain transport of nanocarriers decreases with age substantially. This technology would facilitate development of effective therapeutics for brain diseases and clinical translation of nanocarrier-based treatment in general.