Wide-Acidity-Range pH Fluorescence Probes for Evaluation of Acidification in Mitochondria and Digestive Tract Mucosa

A naphthalimide-based portable fluorescent sensor integrated with a photoelectric converter for rapid and on-site detection of type II pyrethroids in celery

The on-site detection of pyrethroids, particularly type II pyrethroids, remains a challenging task in complex vegetable samples. Herein, a novel method based on naphthalimide was developed to realize the specific detection of type II pyrethroids by hydrolyzing and utilizing the compound m-phenoxybenzaldehyde (3-PBD). Hydrazine group, used as the appropriate moiety, was introduced into the fluorescent dye 1,8-naphthalimide to construct the fluoroprobe NAP. In the presence of 3-PBD, NAP displayed the prominently enhanced fluorescence and also exhibited high selectivity. This proposed method exhibited high anti-inference effects in complex media, realizing sensitive detection of 3-PBD with linear range of 2.15-800 μM and a low detection limit (LOD) of 0.64 μM. The underlying fluorescence-responsive mechanisms were in-depth elucidated by combining spectral analyses with TD-DFT theoretical calculations. Additionally, a direct and rapid hydrolysis method for deltamethrin in celery was established, achieving a high hydrolysis efficiency of >90% within 15 min. Furthermore, a portable fluorescence sensor (PFS) was developed based on high-power LEDs and photodetectors. PFS supplied a LOD of 2.23 μM for 3-PBD and exhibited comparable stability by a fluorescence spectrometer when detecting celery hydrolysate. Moreover, external power source is not required for PFS operations, thereby enabling rapid and on-site detection by transmitting data to a smartphone via bluetooth. These findings extend the academic knowledge in the field of specific pyrethroids detection and contribute to the development of on-site methods for pesticide residual analyses in food matrices.

A simple mitochondria-immobilized fluorescent probe for the detection of hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), as one of reactive oxygen species (ROS) widely present in the human body, is involved in a variety of physiological activities. Many human diseases are associated with abnormal levels of H2O2 in the body. Mitochondria are the main organelles producing H2O2 in the human body, and monitoring the level of H2O2 in mitochondria can help to deepen the understanding of the detailed functions of H2O2 in physiological activities. However, due to the highly dynamic nature of the cells, real-time quantitative monitoring of H2O2 levels in mitochondria remains an ongoing challenge. Herein, a novel highly immobilized mitochondria-targeting fluorescent probe (QHCl) for detection of H2O2 was reasonably constructed based on quinolinium dye containing benzyl chloride moiety. Spectral experimental results demonstrated QHCl possessed outstanding selectivity toward H2O2 (λex/em = 380/513 nm). In addition, QHCl can quantitatively detect H2O2 in the concentration range of 0-20 μM with excellent sensitivity (LOD = 0.58 μM) under the PBS buffer solution (10 mM, pH = 7.4). Finally, bioimaging experiments demonstrated that the probe QHCl was able to be used for accurately detecting both endogenous and exogenous H2O2 in the mitochondria of living cells and zebrafish by its unique mitochondrial immobilization.

pH-Responsive Aminobenzocoumarins as Fluorescent Probes for Biological Acidity

Regulation of pH plays an essential role in orchestrating the delicate cellular machinery responsible for life as we know it. Its abnormal values are indicative of aberrant cellular behavior and associated with pathologies including cancer progression or solid tumors. Here, we report a series of bent and linear aminobenzocoumarins decorated with different substituents. We investigate their photophysical properties and demonstrate that the probes display strong pH-responsive fluorescence "turn on" behavior in highly acidic environments, with enhancement up to 300-fold. In combination with their low cytotoxicity, this behavior enabled their application in bioimaging of acidic lysosomes in live human cells. We believe that these molecules serve as attractive lead structures for future rational design of novel biocompatible fluorescent pH probes.

Rational design of mitochondria-targeted fluorescent biosensors for in vivo elucidation of the interaction between breast cancer metastasis and mitochondrial autophagy

Breast cancer lung metastases (BCLM) are a major cause of high mortality in patients. The shortage of therapeutic targets and rapid drug screening tools for BCLM is a major challenge at present. Mitochondrial autophagy, which involves the degradation of proteins associated with cancer cell aggressiveness, represents a possible therapeutic approach for the treatment of BCLM. Herein, four fluorescent biosensors with different alkyl chains were designed and synthesized to monitor mitochondrial autophagy. Among them, PMV-12 demonstrated the highest sensitivity to viscosity variance, the least impact on polarity, and the longest imaging time. The introduction of the C12-chain made PMV-12 anchored in the mitochondrial membrane without being disturbed by changes of the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), thereby achieving the long-term monitor in situ for mitochondrial autophagy. Mitochondria stained with PMV-12 induced swelling and viscosity increase after treating with apigenin, which indicated that apigenin is a potential mitochondrial autophagy inducer. Apigenin was subsequently verified to inhibit cancer cell invasion by 92%. Furthermore, PMV-12 could monitor the process of BCLM in vivo and evaluate the therapeutic effects of apigenin. This work provides a fluorescent tool for elucidating the role of mitochondrial autophagy in the BCLM process and for anti-metastatic drug development.

Design and Application of Fluorescent Probes to Detect Cellular Physical Microenvironments

The microenvironment is indispensable for functionality of various biomacromolecules, subcellular compartments, living cells, and organisms. In particular, physical properties within the biological microenvironment could exert profound effects on both the cellular physiology and pathology, with parameters including the polarity, viscosity, pH, and other relevant factors. There is a significant demand to directly visualize and quantitatively measure the fluctuation in the cellular microenvironment with spatiotemporal resolution. To satisfy this need, analytical methods based on fluorescence probes offer great opportunities due to the facile, sensitive, and dynamic detection that these molecules could enable in varying biological settings from in vitro samples to live animal models. Herein, we focus on various types of small molecule fluorescent probes for the detection and measurement of physical parameters of the microenvironment, including pH, polarity, viscosity, mechanical force, temperature, and electron potential. For each parameter, we primarily describe the chemical mechanisms underlying how physical properties are correlated with changes of various fluorescent signals. This review provides both an overview and a perspective for the development of small molecule fluorescent probes to visualize the dynamic changes in the cellular environment, to expand the knowledge for biological process, and to enrich diagnostic tools for human diseases.

Water-soluble single molecular probe for simultaneous detection of viscosity and hydrazine

Hydrazine (N₂H₄) can cause serious damage to human health, while intracellular viscosity is highly associated with many diseases and cellular dysfunctions. Herein, we report the synthesis of a dual-responsive organic molecule-based fluorescent probe with excellent water solubility being capable of detection of N₂H₄ and viscosity through dual-fluorescence channels in "turn on" manner for both. Besides sensitive detection of N₂H₄ in aqueous solution with detection limit of 0.135 μM, this probe could be used for vapor N₂H₄ detection in colorimetric and fluorescent manners. In addition, the probe demonstrated viscosity-dependent fluorescence enhancement behavior, and as high as 150-fold enhancement could be obtained at 95% glycerol aqueous solution. Cell imaging experiment revealed that the probe could be used for the discriminating of living and dead cells.

In Situ Generation of Red-to-NIR Emissive Radical Cations in the Stomach for Gastrointestinal Imaging

Red-to-near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes, with advantages such as high spatiotemporal resolution and in situ sensing abilities, are highly attractive for diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases and targeted drug development. However, conventional red-to-NIR fluorophores with electron closed-shell structures require tedious synthetic procedures for preparation, and it is difficult to further decorate them with sensing groups. In this study, a series of easily prepared pyrroles with simple structures that can quickly be transformed into red-to-NIR emissive radical cations in acidic buffer solution and in vivo stomachs is developed. The in-situ-generated red-to-NIR emissive pyrrole radical cations in the stomach have excellent biocompatibility and stability and can be used not only for intravital gastrointestinal imaging with high spatiotemporal resolution, but also for dynamic monitoring of the gastric emptying process and assessment of anti-gastric-acid therapy. The acidity-induced generation of pyrrole radical cations is believed to provide a facile strategy for developing red-to-NIR fluorophores and studying gastrointestinal diseases.

A pH-responsive ratiometric fluorescence system based on AIZS QDs and azamonardine for urea detection

Herein, a ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobe was strategically fabricated using pH-sensitive azamonardine (Aza) as a pH indicator and pH-insensitive AIZS QDs as a reference fluorescence signal for urea activity determination and pH sensing. As the pH changed from 9.7 to 11.7, the resorcinol could react with dopamine to form the cyclization product (Aza), producing a fluorescence signal at 455 nm. Meanwhile, the fluorescence intensity of AIZS QDs at 566 nm remained unchanged. Thus, the ratio of the fluorescence intensity (F₄₅₅/F₅₆₆) was able to quantify pH value. Our designed pH-sensing platform showed a linear respond to pH values in the range of 9.7 to 11.7 at intervals of 0.2. In addition, the hydrolysis of urea by urease caused an increase of the system pH value, which can be used to measure the concentration of urea. The developed method for urea determination exhibited a good linear relationship from 0.02 to 20 mM and the limit of detection was 0.0103 mM. Moreover, the practical application was confirmed by urea analysis in real water sample with high feasibility and accuracy, indicating the great application prospects of this sensing platform for urea activity analysis.

A water-soluble 1, 8-naphthalimide-based fluorescent pH probe for distinguishing tumorous tissues and inflammation mice

A water-soluble fluorescent probe BPN, by introducing a piperazine as the pH-sensitive fluorescence signaling motif to the hydrophilic propionic acid-substituted 1, 8-naphthalimide fluorophore, is highly sensitive to pH changes within cytoplasm matrix in living cells, as well as pH-related diseases models. Owing to the protonation-induced inhibition of the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from piperazine to naphthalimide fluorophore, BPN displayed a significant fluorescence enhancement (more than 131-fold) upon the pH decreasing from 11.0 to 3.0. The linear rang was between pH 6.4 to 8.0 with a pK_a value of 6.69 near the physiological pH, which was suitable for cytosolic pH research. Furthermore, BPN exhibited a large Stokes shift (142 nm), good water solubility, excellent photostability, high selectivity and low cytotoxicity. All these advantages were particularly beneficial for intracellular pH imaging. Using BPN, we demonstrated the real-time monitoring of cytosolic pH changes in living cells. Most importantly, BPN has not only been successfully applied for distinguishing inflammation mice, but also the surgical specimens of cancer tissue, making it of great potential application in the cancer diagnosis.

Imaging and Measuring Vesicular Acidification with a Plasma Membrane-Targeted Ratiometric pH Probe

Tracking the pH variation of intracellular vesicles throughout the endocytosis pathway is of prior importance to better assess the cell trafficking and metabolism of cells. Small molecular fluorescent pH probes are valuable tools in bioimaging but are generally not targeted to intracellular vesicles or are directly targeted to acidic lysosomes, thus not allowing the dynamic observation of the vesicular acidification. Herein, we designed Mem-pH, a fluorogenic ratiometric pH probe based on chromenoquinoline with appealing photophysical properties, which targets the plasma membrane (PM) of cells and further accumulates in the intracellular vesicles by endocytosis. The exposition of Mem-pH toward the vesicle's lumen allowed to monitor the acidification of the vesicles throughout the endocytic pathway and enabled the measurement of their pH via ratiometric imaging.

Recent progress of organic small molecule-based fluorescent probes for intracellular pH sensing

Fluorescent probes along with fluorescence microscopy are essential tools for biomedical research. Various cellular ubiquitous chemical factors such as pH, H₂O₂, and Ca²⁺ are labeled and traced using specific fluorescent probes, therefore helping us to explore their physiological function and pathological change. Among them, intracellular pH value is an important factor that governs biological processes, generally ∼7.2. Furthermore, specific organelles within cells possess unique acid-base homeostasis, involving the acidic lysosomes, alkalescent mitochondria, and neutral endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, which undergo various physiological processes such as intracellular digestion, ATP production, and protein folding and processing. In this review, recently reported fluorescent probes targeted toward the lysosomes, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and cytoplasm for sensing pH change are discussed, which involves molecular structures, fluorescence behavior, and biological applications.

TMSOTf-Mediated Formal [4 + 2] Cycloaddition-Retro-aza-Michael Cascade of Vinylogous Carbamates for the Synthesis of Highly Fluorescent Pyridocarbazoles

Trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate mediated dimerization reaction of vinylogous carbamates of carbazoles gave highly fluorescent pyridocarbazoles through a Povarov-type formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition-retro-aza-Michael cascade. The developed strategy was used to access indolo pyridocarbazole and quinolizinocarbazolone in an expeditious manner. Various coupling reactions were successfully performed on synthesized pyridocarbazoles to study the effect of electronics of substitution on photophysical properties. Synthesized carbazoles possess excellent photophysical properties with high quantum yields (Φ_F). Fluorescent carbazole dicarboxylic acid showed potential as a pH probe to give a linear response to pH over a very wide range (7.0-3.0) reflecting high efficiency.

Recent Advances in Small Molecule-Based Intracellular pH Probes

Intracellular pH plays an important role in many biological and pathological processes. Small-molecule based pH probes are found to be the most effective for pH sensing because of ease of preparation, high sensitivity, and quick response. They have many advantages such as small perturbation to the functions of the target, functional adaptability, cellular component-specific localization, etc. The present review highlights the flurry of recent activity in the development of such probes. The probes are categorized based on the type of fluorophore used like quinoline, coumarin, BODIPY, rhodamine, indolium, naphthalimide, etc., and their analytical performance is discussed.

Fluorescence imaging of pathophysiological microenvironments

Abnormal microenvironments (viscosity, polarity, pH, etc.) have been verified to be closely associated with numerous pathophysiological processes such as inflammation, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. As a result, deep insights into these pathophysiological microenvironments are particularly beneficial for clinical diagnosis and treatment. However, the monitoring of pathophysiological microenvironments is unattainable by the traditional clinical diagnostic techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and positron emission tomography. Recently, fluorescence imaging has shown tremendous advantages and potential in the tracing of pathophysiological microenvironment variations. In this context, a general discussion is provided on the state-of-the-art progress of fluorescent probes for visualizing pathophysiological microenvironments (viscosity, pH, and polarity), since 2016, as well as the future perspectives in this challenging field.

β-Naphthothiazolium-based ratiometric fluorescent probe with ideal pKa for pH imaging in mitochondria of living cells

The weakly alkaline microenvironment (pH ~8.0) in mitochondria plays a vital role in maintaining its morphology and function. Thus monitoring mitochondrial pH (pH_mito) is of great significance. Herein, a ratiometric fluorescent probe (ENBT) for pHmito imaging in mitochondria of living cells is reported. pH variation closely correlates to intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) from naphthol to β-naphthothiazolium. ENBT exhibits a remarkable decrease on ratiometric fluorescence at λ_em1/λ_em2 = F₅₉₅/F₇₀₀ in response to pH variation within 6.30-9.29. In addition, ENBT has an ideal pKa value of 7.94 ± 0.08, which is advantageous in accurate sensing of pH_mito. Moreover, ENBT has a Stokes shift of >150 nm, which effectively eliminates the potential interference from the excitation irradiation. ENBT shows excellent capability for specific staining of mitochondria with low cytotoxicity, which is most suitable for pH_mito imaging in live cells. The probe was applied for monitoring pH_mito variation in mitochondria of live cells caused by H₂O₂, NAC (N-Acetyl-l-cysteine), NH₄Cl, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP) and lactate/pyruvate. The morphological alterations of mitochondria in living cells after treatment by CCCP were further evaluated.

Revealing Minor pH Changes of Mitochondria by a Highly Sensitive Molecular Fluorescent Probe

Mitochondrial pH is an important factor associated with cellular metabolism and pathological states. Thus, sensitively monitoring its minor change was essential. However, it was challengeable due to the lack of suitable probes. Here, a mitochondria-targeted probe (NIR-OH-1) was synthesized. Based on the protonation/deprotonation of the hydroxy group and the assistance of carboxyl group on NIR-OH-1 molecular structure, a dramatic NIR activated signal was generated for sensing pH. Probe NIR-OH-1 displayed a good photo-stability and reversibility and could detect pH change without interference by other biologically active species. Importantly, NIR-OH-1 had an appropriate pK_a value (7.77) and tiny acid-base transition range, which was allowed to map the small pH changes of cellular mitochondrial. Moreover, NIR-OH-1 was also successfully applied in real-time monitoring mitochondrial pH-related pathological events in living cells under different stimulation, demonstrating the prospect of its clinical application in accurate mitochondrial pH detection under related physiological and pathological conditions.

An ESIPT based versatile fluorescent probe for bioimaging live-cells and E. coli under strongly acidic conditions

A BTNN probe undergoes a 146 times increase in fluorescence intensity at 530 nm on lowering the pH from 7.0 to 2.0 and has been deployed for the bioimaging of MG-63 live cells and E. coli bacteria at different pH levels.

A coumarin embedded highly sensitive nitric oxide fluorescent sensor: kinetic assay and bio-imaging applications

Fluorescence spectroscopy is a significant bio-analytical technique for specific detection of nitric oxide (NO) and for broadcasting the in vitro and in vivo biological activities of this gasotransmitter. Herein, a benzo-coumarin embedded smart molecular probe (BCM) is employed for NO sensing through detailed fluorescence studies in purely aqueous medium. All the spectroscopic analysis and literature reports clearly validate the mechanistic insight of this sensing strategy i.e., the initial formation of 1,2,3,4-oxatriazole on treatment of the probe with NO which finally converted to its carboxylic acid derivative. This oxatriazole formation results in a drastic enhancement in fluoroscence intensity due to the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) effect. The kinetic investigation unveils the second and first-order dependency on [NO] and [BCM] respectively. The very low detection limit (16 nM), high fluorescence enhancement (123 fold) in aqueous medium and good formation constant (Kf = (4.33 ± 0.48) × 104 M-1) along with pH invariability, non-cytotoxicity, biocompatibility and cell permeability make this probe a very effective one for tracking NO intracellularly.

Mitochondria-targeted drug delivery in cancers

Mitochondria are considered one of the most important subcellular organelles for targeting and delivering drugs because mitochondria are the main location for various cellular functions and energy (i.e., ATP) production, and mitochondrial dysfunctions and malfunctions cause diverse diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disorders, metabolic disorders, and cancers. In particular, unique mitochondrial characteristics (e.g., negatively polarized membrane potential, alkaline pH, high reactive oxygen species level, high glutathione level, high temperature, and paradoxical mitochondrial dynamics) in pathological cancers have been used as targets, signals, triggers, or driving forces for specific sensing/diagnosing/imaging of characteristic changes in mitochondria, targeted drug delivery on mitochondria, targeted drug delivery/accumulation into mitochondria, or stimuli-triggered drug release in mitochondria. In this review, we describe the distinctive structures, functions, and physiological properties of cancer mitochondria and discuss recent technologies of mitochondria-specific "key characteristic" sensing systems, mitochondria-targeted "drug delivery" systems, and mitochondrial stimuli-specific "drug release" systems as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Efficient Polymer Pendant Approach toward High Stable Organic Fluorophore for Sensing Ultratrace Hg2+ with Improved Biological Compatibility and Cell Permeability

A convenient and efficient method to eliminate the aggregation effect of organic photoelectric sensing materials and to improve biological compatibility and cell permeability as well was developed by hanging organic fluorophores on a polymer chain, for example, fluorescein fluorophores had been controllably hung on polyacrylamide main chains with a 1:2 stoichiometric ratio by a simple copolymerization strategy. The results showed that introduction of water-soluble bioactive polyacrylamide main chains into fluorescein fluorophores via covalent bonds could effectively improve their optical stability by deteriorating π-π stack and charge-transfer interactions among different fluorophores. More importantly, the resultant materials possessed low toxicity and excellent cell permeability ten times larger than their precursor fluorescein fluorophore, which made it express an especially turn-on fluorescent response to ultratrace Hg²⁺ both in aqueous and living cells by forming stable 5-member-ring complexes with Hg²⁺ with a correlation coefficient of 0.997 and a low detection limit of 4.0 × 10^-10 mol·L^-1. This work provides promising insight into constructing some practical sensing materials for environmentally-friendly biological analyses.

A mitochondria-targeted two-photon fluorescent probe for sensing and imaging pH changes in living cells

A novel two-photon pH probe, 3-benzimidazole-7-hydroxycoumarin (BHC), was designed and synthesized based on the structures of hydroxycoumarin and benzimidazole. BHC showed good linearity in the pH ranges of 3.30-5.40 (pKa = 4.20) and 6.50-8.30 (pKa = 7.20) at a maximum emission wavelength of 480 nm. BHC in acidic and alkaline media could be distinguished by an obvious spectral shift of the maximum absorption wavelength from 390 nm to 420 nm. In addition, BHC was well localized to mitochondria and successfully applied to one-photon and two-photon imaging of pH changes in the mitochondria of HeLa cells. The findings presented herein suggest that BHC can serve as an excellent fluorescent probe for selectively sensing mitochondrial pH changes with remarkable photostability and low cytotoxicity.

A novel ratiometric fluorescent probe for rapid detection of hydrogen peroxide in living cells

In this work, we present a new ratiometric fluorescent probe JNY-1 for rapid and convenient detection of H₂O₂. The probe could selectively and sensitively respond to H₂O₂ within 10 min. In addition, this probe was successfully applied for monitoring and imaging of H₂O₂ in liver cancer HepG2 cells under physiological conditions.

A new ratiometric fluorescent probe JNY-1 for sensitive detection of H₂O₂ is presented with selectivity over other reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species, and biologically relevant species. Imaging of H₂O₂ in liver cancer HepG2 cells was achieved.

Mitochondria-Immobilized Near-Infrared Ratiometric Fluorescent pH Probe To Evaluate Cellular Mitophagy

Mitochondria, powerhouses of cells, possess a weakly alkaline environment. Various stress stimulations may lead to mitophagy, which further gives a rise to mitochondrial acidification and disfunction. Therefore, monitoring mitochondrial pH alterations is of great importance to better elucidate their role in the cellular metabolism. Toward this end, a number of mitochondrial fluorescent pH probes have been proposed, but most of them are based on electrostatic attraction and readily leak out from the mitochondria during mitophagy with decreased membrane potential, thus failing to accurately measure the pH changes. In this work, we report a mitochondria-immobilized ratiometric fluorescent pH probe, which allows the quantitative measurements of mitochondrial pH. The probe was designed and prepared by introducing a reactive benzyl chloride into a positively charged near-infrared hydroxyl-hemicyanine. The cationic property facilitates the probe to be quickly enriched into mitochondria, the hydroxyl group is responsible for producing a reversible ratiometric fluorescence signal, and benzyl chloride is used to react with nucleophiles for immobilizing the probe in mitochondria. Taking these advantages of the probe, the mitochondrial pH variations during mitophagy caused by rapamycin and hypoxia have been determined quantitatively for the first time. The observed severe acidification of mitochondria under these stimulations, together with the rationally designed probe, may be useful for studying the detailed function of mitochondria in some bioprocesses.

Ratiometric two-photon fluorescent probe for in situ imaging of carboxylesterase (CE)-mediated mitochondrial acidification during medication

A probe for imaging of mitochondrial carboxylesterase and pH has been developed for the visualization of carboxylesterase-mediated acidification in hepatoma cells and hepatic tissues during the administration of antipyretic and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Immobilizable fluorescent probes for monitoring the mitochondria microenvironment: a next step from the classic

Immobilizable probes represent a valuable trend.

Efficient Two-Photon Fluorescent Probe for Imaging of Nitric Oxide during Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

Nitric oxide (NO) is a vital gaseous signal molecule and plays an important role in diverse physiological and pathological processes including regulation of vascular functions. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is caused by the accumulation of misfolded or unfolded protein in the ER. Besides, ER stress induced by NO can be involved in the pathogenesis of various vascular diseases. Unfortunately, to the best of our knowledge, no ER-targeting probe for NO is reported to study the relationship between ER stress and the level of NO in a biological system. Herein, an ER-targeted fluorescent probe named ER-Nap-NO for imaging of NO is designed and synthesized. ER-Nap-NO consists of three main parts: naphthalimide (two-photon fluorophore), o-phenylenediamino (NO recognition group), and methyl sulfonamide (ER-targetable group). The probe itself is nonfluorescent because a photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process exists. After the addition of NO, the PET process is inhibited and thus strong fluorescence is released. Moreover, the response mechanism is confirmed by ¹H NMR and mass spectra and DFT calculation in detail. In addition, from the experimental results, we can conclude that the probe displays several obvious advantages including high sensitivity, selectivity, and ER-targetable ability. Based on these excellent properties, the probe is used for the two-photon imaging of exogenous and endogenous NO in ER of living cells. Most importantly, the ER-targetable probe has potential capability as a tool for investigating the level of NO during tunicamycin-induced ER stress in cells and tissues, which is beneficial for revealing the role of NO in ER-associated vascular diseases.

Detecting and Imaging of γ-Glutamytranspeptidase Activity in Serum, Live Cells, and Pathological Tissues with a High Signal-Stability Probe by Releasing a Precipitating Fluorochrome

γ-Glutamytranspeptidase (GGT) is a significant tumor-related biomarker that overexpresses in several tumor cells. Accurate detection and imaging of GGT activity in serum, live cells, and pathological tissues hold great significance for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and management. Recently developed small molecule fluorescent probes for GGT tend to diffuse to the whole cytoplasm and then translocate out of live cells after enzymatic reaction, which make them fail to provide high spatial resolution and long-term imaging in biological systems. To address these problems, a novel fluorescent probe (HPQ-PDG) which releases a precipitating fluorochrome upon the catalysis of GGT is designed and synthesized. HPQ-PDG is able to detect GGT activity with high spatial resolution and good signal-stability. The large Stokes shift of the probe enables it to detect the activity of GGT in serum samples with high sensitivity. To our delight, the probe is used for imaging GGT activity in live cells with the ability of discriminating cancer cells from normal cells. What's more, we successfully apply it for pathological tissues imaging, with the results indicating that the potential application of HPQ-PDG in histopathological examination. All these results demonstrate the potential application of HPQ-PDG in the clinic.

Mitochondria-targeted near-infrared fluorescent probe for the detection of carbon monoxide in vivo

Carbon monoxide is a critical gasotransmitter in the body and related with mitochondrial respiration. To date, various fluorescent probes for CO have been well proposed, but two main problems remain. One is that most of the probes are not mitochondria-targeting, even if the probes claim to be able to detect CO in living cells. The other is that the probes for CO display excitation and emission within the ultraviolet or visible range, which hinders their applications in vivo. Herein, a hemicyanine-based near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe named CyAPC is first synthesized and used to detect mitochondrial CO. The characteristics of probe CyAPC are as follows: (1) The fluorescence emission of the sensing system is at 736 nm belonging to NIR region, which is suitable for bioimaging in vivo. (2) CyAPC, a positively charged molecule, would have a high tendency to localize in mitochondria of cells. (3) The fluorescence change of the probe is attributed to the fact that CO with Pd²⁺ induced cleavage of the allyl formate group from the probe and CyAPC (fluorescence off) is transformed into CyOH (fluorescence on), which is proved by HPLC, MS and DFT calculation. (4) The NIR fluorescent probe is applied for the detection of exogenous and endogenous CO in various biological samples such as cell, tissue and in vivo with satisfactory results.

A novel colorimetric and fluorescence turn-on pH sensor with a notably large Stokes shift for its application

A novel naked-eye colorimetric and fluorescent turn-on pH sensor based on a naphthalenone scaffold was rationally designed and facilely synthesized.

A single rhodamine spirolactam probe for localization and pH monitoring of mitochondrion/lysosome in living cells

Rh-BMDZ with neutral pK_a6.9 succeeds in indicating and discriminating mitochondria and lysosomes simultaneously in MCF-7 cells.