Noninvasive Mapping of Extracellular Potassium in Breast Tumors via Multi-Wavelength Photoacoustic Imaging

Elevated extracellular potassium (K⁺) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is increasingly recognized as a critical factor influencing tumor progression and immune suppression. Current methods for noninvasively mapping of potassium distribution in tumors are limited. Here, we employed photoacoustic chemical imaging (PACI) with a solvatochromic dye-based, potassium-sensitive nanoprobe (SDKNP) to quantitatively visualize extracellular potassium levels in orthotopic breast tumor mouse models. Tumors of three distinct sizes (5 mm, 10 mm, and 20 mm) were imaged using multi-wavelength photoacoustic imaging at five laser wavelengths (560, 576, 584, 605, and 625 nm). Potassium concentration maps derived from spectral unmixing of the photoacoustic images at the five laser wavelengths revealed significantly increased potassium levels in larger tumors, confirmed independently by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The PACI results matched ICP-MS measurements, validating PACI as a robust, noninvasive imaging modality for potassium mapping in tumors in vivo. This work establishes PACI as a promising tool for studying the chemical properties of TME and provides a foundation for future studies evaluating immunotherapy response through ionic biomarker imaging.