Self-quenching activatable COX-2-specific multi-modal molecular probes for diagnosis of cancers, inflammation, and immune system disorders

A method of detecting a COX-2 activity in a human or non-human animal tissue or cell thereof, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) administering to a recipient human or non-human animal subject a pharmaceutically acceptable composition comprising an activatable probe for the detection of a cell or tissue having cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity, said activatable probe comprising:
• (i) a fluorescent moiety consisting of indomethacin coniuqated to 5-Rox-D (Fluorocoxib).
• (ii) a fluorescence quencher, wherein the fluorescent quencher is GHK-Cu+, wherein the fluorescent moiety and the fluorescence quencher are connected by a cleavable linker comprising a cleavable peptide bond, wherein the linker is GHK, wherein the activatable probe is encapsulated in a liposome comprising sulfasalazine;
• and
• (iii) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier,
• wherein the pharmaceutically acceptable composition is delivered to the recipient subject by a route that delivers the activatable probe to a tissue suspected of having COX-2activity;
• (b) irradiating the recipient tissue or isolated cell with a stimulatory incident energy, whereupon the fluorophore emits a detectable signal if the fluorescence quencher has been cleaved from the fluorescent molecular probe;
• and
• (c) detecting the emitted detectable signal, thereby detecting the presence of COX-2 in the recipient tissue or cell.