Influence of Autofluorescence Derived from Living Body on in vivo Fluorescence Imaging Using Quantum Dots

Quantum dots (QDs) are thought to be a novel inorganic probe for in vivo fluorescence imaging because of their excellent fluorescence properties. Autofluorescence is generally known to be produced from various living bodies including humans, rats, and mice. However, the influence of the autofluorescence on in vivo fluorescence imaging using QDs remains poorly understood. In this article, we assessed the autofluorescence derived from a mouse body and the influence of the autofluorescence on in vivo fluorescence imaging using QDs. The dorsal and ventral autofluorescence derived from a mouse from which the hair was removed were detected under all kinds of excitation/fluorescence filter settings (blue, green, yellow, red, deep red, and NIR) using the Maestro™ in vivo imaging system. The degree of autofluorescence was found to be extremely high in the red filter condition, but transplanted ASCs labeled with QDs on the back of a mouse could be detected in the red filter condition. Moreover, the ASCs labeled with QDs could be traced for at least 5 days. We suggest that fluorescence imaging using QDs can be useful for the detection of transplanted cells.