Development of a fluorescence-based imaging system for colon cancer diagnosis using two novel rhodamine derivatives

Tissue characterisation by endoscopic fluorescence imaging of exogenous flu orophores appears to be a promising method for cancer detection. Cationic a nd lipophilic fluorescence compounds of the aminoxanthene chemical family, have been found to exhibit selective accumulation in various carcinoma cell s. In this paper the development of an endoscopic fluorescence-based imaging s ystem with the additional capability of collecting emission spectra is desc ribed, which was used with two novel fluorescent probes rhodamine B-leucine amide and rhodamine B-phenyl boronic acid, for colon cancer diagnosis, in ex vivo tissue samples. Fluorescence images of human colon tissue revealed a remarkable differentiation of cancerous, from healthy colonic mucosa, con firmed by histopathology studies. These results from fluorescence imaging o f colonic tissue were in total correspondence with the information extracte d from the collection of fluorescence spectra.