TAMRA-conjugated DRL tripeptide for the visualization of synovium

The development of new cell-/organ-targeting peptides has been highlighted across various basic research fields and industries. In this work, a new synovium-homing tri-peptide, DRL, was developed through peptide screening and was functionalized to visualize the synovium via 5-carboxytetramethylrhodamine (TAMRA; TAM) conju-gation. The TAMRA-conjugated DRL, named DRL-TAM , showed a bright red emission in cells and tissues with high biocompatibility (low cytotoxicity and biotoxicity). In the cell screening and in vivo fluorescence imaging studies, DRL-TAM demonstrated a remarkable visualization ability on the synovial-derived cells and synovial-related organs. DRL-TAM, as an advanced next generation of synovium-homing peptide, could open up new possibilities for the synovium-related disease diagnosis and treatment.

Automated summary

A new synovium-homing tri-peptide, DRL, was developed through peptide screening and functionalized to visualize the synovium. The TAMRA-conjugated DRL, named DRL-TAM, demonstrated remarkable visualization ability on synovial-derived cells and synovial-related organs in cell screening and in vivo fluorescence imaging studies. This study opens up new possibilities for the diagnosis and treatment of synovium-related diseases.