Chemiluminescence of Conjugated-Polymer Nanoparticles by Direct Oxidation with Hypochlorite

Catalytic NIR chemiluminescence sensor with enhanced persistence and intensity for in vivo imaging

Chemiluminescence (CL) is a self-illumination phenomenon that involves the emission of light from chemical reactions, and it provides favorable spatial and temporal information on biological processes. However, it is still a great challenge to construct effective CL sensors that equip strong CL intensity, long emission wavelength, and persistent luminescence for deep tissue imaging. Here, we report a liposome encapsulated polymer dots (Pdots)-based system using catalytic CL substrates (L-012) as energy donor and fluorescent polymers and dyes (NIR 695) as energy acceptors for efficient Near-infrared (NIR) CL in vivo imaging. Thanks to the modulation of paired donor and acceptor distance and the slow diffusion of biomarker by liposome, the Pdots show a NIR emission wavelength (λ em, max = 720 nm), long CL duration (>24 h), and a high chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer efficiency (46.5 %). Furthermore, the liposome encapsulated Pdots possess excellent biocompatibility, sensitive response to H2O2, and persistent whole-body NIR CL imaging in the drug-induced inflammation and the peritoneal metastatic tumor mouse model. In a word, this NIR-II CL nanoplatform with long-lasting emission and high spatial-temporal resolution will be a concise strategy in deep tissue imaging and clinical diagnostics.

Molybdenum disulfide nanosheet induced reactive oxygen species for high-efficiency luminol chemiluminescence

BACKGROUND

Luminol chemiluminescence (CL) sensing system remains an excellent candidate for application in bioanalysis due to its good water solubility. However, traditional luminol CL system usually requires the addition of oxidizing agents and sensitizers to obtain high efficiency for the improvement of detection sensitivity. Although numerous studies on the nanomaterial-enhanced luminol CL systems have been carried out, there is still great potential to develop inexpensive, readily available and easily handled catalysts to construct simple and effective CL platform for biomolecular sensing.

RESULTS

Few-layered MoS2 nanosheets (NS) prepared by sonication-assisted exfoliation of commercially available bulk MoS2 were found to significantly enhance the CL of luminol‒dissolved oxygen in the absence of additional oxidants. The mechanism study demonstrated that exfoliated MoS2 NS could catalyze the decomposition of dissolved oxygen by virtue of its exposed active sites on the surface, generating increased reactive oxygen intermediates, which then oxidize luminol and produce intense CL emission. The proposed high-efficiency luminol CL system was then employed for the extremely sensitive identification of dopamine based on the quenching of CL by dopamine. The limit of detection (LOD) for dopamine can be as low as 2.07 nM. Besides, it also works well in the actual urine sample with good recoveries (99.6-100.6 %), confirming the practicability of the method.

SIGNIFICANCE

As a new type of CL catalyst, MoS2 NS developed in this work are easy to obtain, simple to prepare and can be produced in large quantities, which lays a foundation for extending applicability of MoS2 NS in the CL field, and provides a new idea for developing simple and highly sensitive CL sensing system.

Nanotechnology for brain tumor imaging and therapy based on π-conjugated materials: state-of-the-art advances and prospects

In contemporary biomedical research, the development of nanotechnology has brought forth numerous possibilities for brain tumor imaging and therapy. Among these, π-conjugated materials have garnered significant attention as a special class of nanomaterials in brain tumor-related studies. With their excellent optical and electronic properties, π-conjugated materials can be tailored in structure and nature to facilitate applications in multimodal imaging, nano-drug delivery, photothermal therapy, and other related fields. This review focuses on presenting the cutting-edge advances and application prospects of π-conjugated materials in brain tumor imaging and therapeutic nanotechnology.

Recent Advances in Nanomaterial-Based Chemiluminescence Probes for Biosensing and Imaging of Reactive Oxygen Species

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play important roles in organisms and are closely related to various physiological and pathological processes. Due to the short lifetime and easy transformation of ROS, the determination of ROS content in biosystem has always been a challenging task. Chemiluminescence (CL) analysis has been widely used in the detection of ROS due to its advantages of high sensitivity, good selectivity and no background signal, among which nanomaterial-related CL probes are rapidly developing. In this review, the roles of nanomaterials in CL systems are summarized, mainly including their roles as catalysts, emitters, and carriers. The nanomaterial-based CL probes for biosensing and bioimaging of ROS developed in the past five years are reviewed. We expect that this review will provide guidance for the design and development of nanomaterial-based CL probes and facilitate the wider application of CL analysis in ROS sensing and imaging in biological systems.

Novel Near-Infrared Iridium(III) Complex for Chemiluminescence Imaging of Hypochlorous Acid

Chemiluminescence (CL) probes that possess near-infrared (NIR) emission are highly desirable for in vivo imaging due to their deeper tissue penetration ability and intrinsically high sensitivity. Herein, a novel iridium-based CL probe (NIRIr-CL-1) with direct NIR emission was reported as the result of hypochlorous acid (HClO)-initiated oxidative deoximation. To improve its biocompatibility and extend the CL time for in vivo imaging applications, this NIRIr-CL-1 was prepared as a CL nanoparticle probe (NIRIr-CL-1 dots) through encapsulation by an amphiphilic polymer Pluronic F127 (F127). All results demonstrate that the NIRIr-CL-1 dots have good selectivity and sensitivity for visualization of HClO even at the depth of 1.2 cm. Owing to these advantages, the CL imaging of exogenous and endogenous HClO in mice was achieved. This study could provide new insights into the construction of new NIR emission CL probes and expand their applications in biomedical imaging.

A novel strategy to construct activatable silver chalcogenide quantum dots nanoprobe for NIR-Ⅱ fluorescence imaging of hypochlorous acid in vivo

It is necessary to develop sensitive and selective probes for real-time in vivo monitoring of hypochlorous acid (HClO) which plays a significant role in physiological and pathological processes. The second near-infrared (NIR-Ⅱ) luminescent silver chalcogenide quantum dots (QDs) have shown great potential in developing activatable nanoprobe for HClO in terms of their outstanding imaging performance in the living organism. However, the limited strategy for the construction of activatable nanoprobes severely restricts their widespread applications. Herein, we proposed a novel strategy for developing an activatable silver chalcogenide QDs nanoprobe for NIR-Ⅱ fluorescence imaging of HClO in vivo. The nanoprobe was fabricated by mixing an Au-precursor solution with Ag₂Te@Ag₂S QDs to allow cation exchange and release Ag ions and then reducing the released Ag ions on the QDs surface to form an Ag shell for quenching of the emission of QDs. The Ag shell of QDs was oxidized and etched in the presence of HClO, resulting in the disappearance of their quenching effect on QDs and the activation of the QDs emission. The developed nanoprobe enabled highly sensitive and selective determination of HClO and imaging of HClO in arthritis and peritonitis. This study provides a novel strategy for the construction of activatable nanoprobe based on QDs and a promising tool for NIR-Ⅱ imaging of HClO in vivo.

A NIR BODIPY-based ratiometric fluorescent probe for HClO detection with high selectivity and sensitivity in real water samples and living zebrafish

Hypochlorous acid (HClO) plays an important role in many physiological and pathological activities. In this work, a novel BODIPY-based Near-infrared (NIR) ratiometric fluorescent probe BODIPY-Hyp was designed for the rapid detection of HClO. The probe BODIPY-Hyp was highly selective and sensitive for HClO with a low detection limit of 16.74 nM and short response time of less than 60 s. The probe BODIPY-Hyp in response to HClO exhibited a significant blue-shifted fluorescence emission from 700 nm to 530 nm, and its fluorescence intensity ratio (I_{530 nm}/I_{700 nm}) increased about 1200 times before and after adding HClO. Moreover, the reaction mechanism of BODIPY-Hyp with HClO was verified by HRMS analysis, ¹H NMR titration and DFT calculations. Furthermore, BODIPY-Hyp was successfully processed into a portable test strip-based device for the detection of HClO. In addition, the probe BODIPY-Hyp could be used in real time to monitor the levels of HClO in living zebrafish larvae. In conclusion, BODIPY-Hyp has great application potential in the life and environmental sciences.

An enhanced chemiluminescence hybrids of luminol by sulfonated polyaniline decorated copper-based metal organic frame composite applicable to the measurement of hydrogen peroxide in a wide pH range

Here, sulfonated polyaniline (SPAN) was decorated on the surface of copper-based metal organic frame (HKUST-1) and the composite was functionalized by luminol to construct a chemiluminescence (CL) hybrids (SPAN/HKUST-1@Luminol). The as-prepared SPAN/HKUST-1@Luminol demonstrated a great dispersion and stability performance in aqueous solution. Moreover, the resultant SPAN/HKUST-1@Luminol hybrids exhibited extremely strong CL properties, and the CL quantum yield was 136 times higher than that of luminol. In particular, it exhibited outstanding CL activity not only under alkaline conditions, but also under neutral conditions. The sensitive response of the hybrid to hydrogen peroxide was used to construct CL methods for the detection of hydrogen peroxide at a wide range of pH, with the detection limit of 60 nM at a neutral condition and 25 pM at alkaline condition. Due to strong and stable signal of the SPAN/HKUST-1@Luminol, the CL method provides a viable tool for determination of H₂O₂ in biological systems and enabled the monitoring of stimulated production of H₂O₂ released by living cells.

Rational construction of deep-red fluorescent probe for rapid detection of HClO and its application in bioimaging and paper-based sensing

Hypochlorous acid (HClO), the core bactericidal substance of the human immune system, plays a vital role in many physiological and pathological processes in the human body. In this work, we designed and synthesized a novel deep-red fluorescent probe TCF-ClO for the determination of hypochlorous acid through theoretical analysis. The results showed that probe TCF-ClO exhibited excellent characteristics of long-wavelength emission (635 nm), fast response (< 1 min), and low detection limit (24 nM). In addition, it had been successfully used for imaging of HClO in living HeLa cells. More importantly, the TCF-ClO composited paper-based sensing material was successfully constructed. The RGB/gray value was obtained from a mobile phone and computer, which could achieve the quantitative detection of HClO, with a linear detection range of 0-50 μM and a detection limit of 1.09 μM (RGB mode)/3.38 μM (gray mode). The function of the paper-based sensor extended from qualitative to quantitative detection of HClO, and it is expected to become a portable device widely used in the environmental area.

A bright chemiluminescence conjugated polymer-mesoporous silica nanoprobe for imaging of colonic tumors in vivo

Hypochlorite acid (ClO^-) is one of the major reactive oxygen species (ROS) in colon cancer, providing an effective target for colonic tumor in vivo imaging. For detection of ClO^- and tumor imaging, poly[(9,9-di(2-ethylhexyl)-9H-fluorene-2,7-vinylene)-co-(1-methoxy-4-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-2,5-phenylenevinylene)] (PFV-co-MEHPV, namely CP1) was encapsulated in mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) that were pre-modified with polyphenylenevinylene (PPV) via in situ polymerization to construct bright PPV@MSN-CP1 nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticles were size-stable and not cytotoxic as confirmed by FE-TEM, FE-SEM, and MTT assay. Hypochlorite oxidizes the vinylidene bond of CP1 through π²-π² cycloaddition to form PPV-dioxetane intermediates to generate photons. The CL quantum yield of PPV@MSN-CP1 was 16.7 times higher than that of Pluronic F-127 wrapped CP1. CL nanoparticles PPV@MSN-CP1 have good selectivity for hypochlorite detection among biological oxidants (mainly ROS). The linear range and the LOD of PPV@MSN@CP1 for ClO^- detection are 4-90 and 1.02 μM, respectively. Subsequently, we further coated PPV@MSN@CP1 with folic acid for tumor targeting by phospholipid wrapping. PPV@MSN-CP1@FA was successfully applied for in vivo imaging of endogenously produced ClO^- of tumor tissue in living animals.

A pyrene-pyridyl nanooligomer as a methoxy-triggered reactive probe for highly specific fluorescence assaying of hypochlorite

A novel pyrene-pyridyl conjugated oligomer (OPP-OMe) was conveniently prepared by one-pot Sonogashira coupling. Intriguingly, it was found that introducing only one methoxy moiety at the 4-pyridyl position can be sufficient for creating an oligomer-based ultrafine reactive fluorescent nanoprobe, i.e., OPP-OMe NPs (ca. 2.5 nm in diameter). Spectral analyses and elucidation of the intermediate structure revealed that the methoxy triggered-oxidation, together with nanoaggregation of OPP-OMe NPs, results in rapid, specific and supersensitive sensing of hypochlorite (LOD, 0.3 nM, S/N = 3).

An optical strategy for detecting hypochlorite in vitro and cells with high selectivity and stability based on a lanthanide-doped upconversion probe

The excessive use of sodium hypochlorite disinfectant for preventing COVID-19 can be harmful to the water environment and humans. More importantly, owing to hypochlorite being a biomarker of immune responses in living organisms, its abnormal production can damage nucleic acids and protein molecules, eventually causing many diseases (even cancer). Exploring a reliable, rapid, and non-invasive method to monitor the hypochlorite level in vitro and in cells can be significant. Herein, we report a novel ratiometric fluorescence sensing strategy based on Astrazon Brilliant Red 4G dye-sensitized NaGdF₄:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺@NaYF₄ core–shell upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs@ABR 4G). Based on the combination mechanism of the fluorescent resonant energy transfer effect (FRET) and redox, a linear model of fluorescence intensity ratio and hypochlorite concentration was constructed for a fast response and high selectivity monitoring of hypochlorite in vitro and in vivo. The detection limit was calculated to be 0.39 μM. In addition, this sensing strategy possessed good stability and circularity, making it valuable both for the quantitative detection of hypochlorite in water and for the visualization of intracellular hypochlorite. The proposed optical probe is promising for the efficient and stable non-invasive detection of hypochlorite.

The excessive use of sodium hypochlorite disinfectant for preventing COVID-19 can be harmful to the water environment and humans.

Rational design of a facile camphor-based fluorescence turn-on probe for real-time tracking of hypochlorous acid in vivo and in vitro

A novel camphor-based fluorescence turn-on probe with high selectivity and sensitivity was developed for HClO detection, and it was successfully employed for real-time imaging of exogenous and endogenous HClO in living cells as well as in living zebrafish.

Development of a new water-soluble fluorescence probe for hypochlorous acid detection in drinking water

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A responsive small-molecule fluorescence probe is developed for hypochlorous acid (HOCl) detection.

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The new probe has good solubility and stability in water, can rapidly and selectively respond to HOCl in pure aqueous solution.

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HOCl-triggered specific reaction leads to a blue shift of UV–vis absorption and enhancement in fluorescence that are recorded for HOCl detection.

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The application of this probe for HOCl detection in drinking water samples is demonstrated.

Responsive small-molecule fluorescence probe specific for target analyte detection is an emerging technology for food safety and quality analysis. In this work, we report a new water soluble small-molecule fluorescence probe (PG) for the detection of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) in drinking water samples. Probe PG was developed by coupling of a glucosamine into 10-methyl-10H-phenothiazine fluorophore with a HOCl-responsive C=N bond. The thioether is another recognition site that can be oxidized to be sulfoxide in water. Due to the specific reactions triggered by HOCl, probe PG’s absorption band is blue shifted from 388 to 340 nm, and fluorescence at 488 nm is more than 55-fold enhanced. Probe PG features high fluorescence stability in PBS buffer with varied pH, fast response and high selectivity to HOCl. The application of the probe PG for HOCl detection in real-world samples is demonstrated by HOCl detection in drinking water, including tap water, purified water, and spring water samples. The recoveries of this method for HOCl detection in drinking water are in the range of 99.17–102.3%. This work thus provides a new method for HOCl detection in drinking water with high precision and accuracy.

Amphiphilic polymer-encapsulated Au nanoclusters with enhanced emission and stability for highly selective detection of hypochlorous acid

It is of vital importance to develop probes to monitor hypochlorous acid (HClO) in biological systems as HClO is associated with many important physiological and pathological processes. Metal nanoclusters (NCs) are promising luminescent nanomaterials for highly reactive oxygen species (hROS) detection on the basis of their strong reaction ability with hROS. However, metal NCs typically can respond to most common hROS and are susceptible to etching by biothiols, hindering their application in the construction of effective HClO probes. Herein, we proposed a strategy to develop a nanoprobe based on Au NCs for highly sensitive and selective detection of HClO. We synthesized luminescent benzyl mercaptan-stabilized Au NCs and encapsulated them with an amphiphilic polymer (DSPE-PEG). After encapsulation, an obvious emission enhancement and good resistance to the etching by biothiols for Au NCs were achieved. More importantly, the DSPE-PEG encapsulated Au NCs can be used as a nanoprobe for detection of HClO with good performance. The luminescence of the Au NCs was effectively and selectively quenched by HClO. A good linear relationship with the concentration of HClO in the range of 5–35 μM and a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.4 μM were obtained. Additionally, this nanoprobe was successfully used for bioimaging and monitoring of HClO changes in live cells, suggesting the application potential of the as-prepared amphiphilic polymer-encapsulated Au NCs for further HClO-related biomedical research.

Amphiphilic polymer-encapsulated Au nanoclusters with enhanced emission and stability were synthesized and used for the sensitive and selective detection of hypochlorous acid.

Multicolor Chemiluminescent Resonance Energy-Transfer System for In Vivo High-Contrast and Targeted Imaging

Chemiluminescence (CL) resonance energy transfer (CRET) has received great attention due to its fascinating applications in in vivo imaging and photodynamic therapy. Here, we report a highly efficient CRET polymer dot (CRET-Pdots)-based system using catalytic CL reagents as energy donors and fluorescent polymers and dyes as energy acceptors. CRET-Pdots consist of Fe(III) deuteroporphyrin IX (CL catalyst), fluorescent polymers, and dyes. The CL intensity and duration are markedly enhanced by using ultrasensitive catalytic CL reaction of luminol analogue-H₂O₂, and the CL emission wavelength can be adjusted by one-step/two-step energy-transfer strategies. CRET-Pdots show intensive multicolor CL (about 3000× enhanced), an adjustable emission wavelength (470-720 nm), long CL duration (over 8 h), and a high CRET efficiency (50%). CRET-Pdots possess excellent biocompatibility, sensitive response to reactive oxygen species (ROS), and ultrahigh catalytic activity. They are successfully used for high-contrast real-time ROS imaging and in vivo tumor-targeted imaging with an excellent signal-to-noise ratio (over 90).

Insights into Mechanism of Hypochlorite-Induced Functionalization of Polymers toward Separating BFR-Containing Components from Microplastics

Surface functionalization of polymers is significant for an emerging flotation technique for separation of microplastics toward the recycling of plastic wastes. In this study, the hypochlorite-induced functionalization of polymers, including ABS, PMMA, PS, and PVC polymers, was intensively investigated. Afterward, its emerging application in flotation separation of microplastic mixtures was assessed based on a Box-Behnken design of the response surface methodology. The functionalization favorably induced decreases in the contact angle and zeta potential of polymers, suggesting hydrophilic and negatively charged surfaces. Particularly, the functionalization of ABS polymers was the most effective, leading to the obviously decreased contact angle (from 92.5° to 67.8°) and zeta potential (from -26.4 mV to -41.7 mV) at neutral condition. The major mechanism for these variations was the oxidation of the sp³-C and butenyl group by hydroxyl radical and the hydrolysis of cyano group, which introduced the hydroxyl, carboxyl, and amide groups and rough topographies on the surface of ABS polymers. Oxygen functionalities introduced on the surfaces of other polymers were far less than those of ABS polymers. This selectivity inspired us to apply the functionalization in flotation separation of ABS microplastics from microplastic mixtures. After functionalization, ABS microplastics showed a significantly decreased floatability in flotation tests since the hydrophilic surface was repulsive to the adhesion of air bubbles. An empirical model was built to optimize the separation efficiency using the overall desirability function. Under optimum conditions, ABS microplastics were efficiently separated, and their removal rate, recovery, and purity were 99.8%, 99.8%, and >99.9%, respectively. These findings provide significant insights into the mechanism of the functionalization of polymers and show a promising prospect for pollution control of plastic wastes.

Luminescent probes for hypochlorous acid in vitro and in vivo

HClO/ClO^- is the most effective antibacterial active oxygen in neutrophils. However, its excessive existence often leads to the destruction of human physiological mechanisms. In recent years, the developed luminescent probes for the detection of HClO/ClO^- are not only conducive to improve the sensitivity and selectivity of HClO/ClO^- detection, but also play a crucial role in understanding the biological functions of HClO/ClO^-. In addition, luminescent probe-based biological imaging for HClO/ClO^- at sub-cellular resolution has become a powerful tool for biopathology and medical diagnostic research. This article reviews a variety of luminescent probes for the detection of HClO/ClO^-in vitro and in vivo with different design principles and mechanisms, including fluorescence, phosphorescence, and chemiluminescence. The photophysical/chemical properties and biological applications of these luminescent probes were outlined. Finally, we summarized the merits and demerits of the developed luminescent probes and discussed their challenges and future development trends. It is hoped that this review can provide some inspiration for the development of luminescent probe-based strategies and to promote the further research of biomedical luminescent probes for HClO/ClO^-.

A Novel Cell-Assisted Enhanced Chemiluminescence Strategy for Rapid and Label-Free Detection of Tumor Cells in Whole Blood

In this study, an interesting phenomenon was found where cells (including tumor and normal cells) managed to significantly enhance chemiluminescence (CL) signals. The possible reaction mechanism may be that cells can be severely damaged by CL substrates, and the released contents, possibly proteins (such as cytochrome c), can remarkably magnify CL owing to the increased production of singlet oxygen. More importantly, based on the above phenomena, a novel cell-assisted enhanced CL strategy was proposed for the rapid and label-free detection of tumor cells. The complexes of aptamer sgc8c and streptavidin-modified magnetic beads were employed to recognize and isolate target tumor cells from whole blood. The enhanced CL intensity, which was triggered directly by the captured cells, was measured. The proposed strategy exhibited a good detection performance with a linear range from 200 to 10,000 cells/mL. The analysis can be finished in ∼30 min, and the limit of detection was down to 100 cells/mL. The recoveries and relative standard deviations were 97.81-102.71% and 3.46-12.71%, respectively. Moreover, the established method can successfully distinguish the leukemia patients from healthy people. Therefore, it provides a novel, rapid, and simple method for the determination of tumor cells, which can be used in further practice.

An aggregation-induced emission dye-powered afterglow luminogen for tumor imaging

Semiconducting polymer (SP)-based afterglow luminogens are showing increasing potential for in vivo imaging because of their long-life luminescence and the associated benefits (e.g., zero-autofluorescence background and high signal-to-noise ratio). However, such organic afterglow luminescence agents are still rare and their application is usually limited by their relatively low afterglow intensity and short afterglow duration. Herein, we report an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) dye-powered SP afterglow luminogen by leveraging on the unique characteristics of an AIE dye to circumvent the concentration-quenching effect, enhance afterglow intensity and prolong afterglow duration. The underlying working mechanism is investigated by a series of experiments and it is found that the AIE dye provides sufficient 1O2 to excite SPs and form massive amounts of high-energy intermediates, and then the SP intermediates emit photons that can activate the AIE dye to generate 1O2 and simultaneously trigger the energy transfer process between the SPs and AIE dye, resulting in a deep-red emission. It is this closed-loop of "photon-1O2-SP intermediates-photon" that provides the afterglow emission even after the cessation of the excitation light. The as-prepared luminogen shows good performance in in vivo tumour imaging. This study demonstrates the advantages of AIE-facilitated afterglow luminescence and discloses its mechanism, and hopefully it could inspire the development of other innovative designs for cancer theranostics.

Amino-functionalized copper-based metal–organic frameworks for highly selective and sensitive detection of hypochlorite

In this work, we have developed amino-functionalized copper-based metal–organic frameworks (NH₂-Cu-MOFs) for the detection of hypochlorite (ClO⁻).

Self-Illuminating Agents for Deep-Tissue Optical Imaging

Optical imaging plays an indispensable role in biology and medicine attributing to its noninvasiveness, high spatiotemporal resolution, and high sensitivity. However, as a conventional optical imaging modality, fluorescence imaging confronts issues of shallow imaging depth due to the need for real-time light excitation which produces tissue autofluorescence. By contrast, self-luminescence imaging eliminates the concurrent light excitation, permitting deeper imaging depth and higher signal-to-background ratio (SBR), which has attracted growing attention. Herein, this review summarizes the progress on the development of near-infrared (NIR) emitting self-luminescence agents in deep-tissue optical imaging with highlighting the design principles including molecular- and nano-engineering approaches. Finally, it discusses current challenges and guidelines to develop more effective self-illuminating agents for biomedical diagnosis and treatment.

Chemiluminescence of Oleic Acid Capped Black Phosphorus Quantum Dots for Highly Selective Detection of Sulfite in PM2.5

Quantum dots (QDs), especially metal-free QDs with their unique optoelectronic properties, environmental friendliness, and excellent biocompatibility, have opened a new avenue to explore novel chemiluminescence (CL) systems for analytical applications. However, the unknown CL properties, relatively weak emission, and instability of some of them in water (e.g., black phosphorus QDs) often seriously hinder their further practical applications. Chemical modification trends have offered new properties for materials and have been proved to be desirable ways to establish sensing platforms with improved sensitivity and stability. Herein, oleic acid capped black phosphorus QDs (OA-BP QDs) with improved stability and optical properties were successfully synthesized. More importantly, an extraordinary CL emission when OA-BP QDs reacted with SO₃^2- was first observed. In the CL process, OA-BP QDs acted as the catalyst to trigger singlet oxygen (¹O₂) generation in NaHSO₃, and then a chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) between (¹O₂)₂* (¹O₂ dimeric aggregate) and OA-BP QDs was produced. On this basis, a new CL system for directly monitoring SO₃^2- in airborne fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) was fabricated. The study opens attractive perspectives of modified metal-free QDs for the practice of CL in monitoring the chemical species in PM_2.5.

Chemiluminescence and Bioluminescence Imaging for Biosensing and Therapy: In Vitro and In Vivo Perspectives

Chemiluminescence (CL) and bioluminescence (BL) imaging technologies, which require no external light source so as to avoid the photobleaching, background interference and autoluminescence, have become powerful tools in biochemical analysis and biomedical science with the development of advanced imaging equipment. CL imaging technology has been widely applied to high-throughput detection of a variety of analytes because of its high sensitivity, high efficiency and high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Using luciferase and fluorescent proteins as reporters, various BL imaging systems have been developed innovatively for real-time monitoring of diverse molecules in vivo based on the reaction between luciferin and the substrate. Meanwhile, the kinetics of protein interactions even in deep tissues has been studied by BL imaging. In this review, we summarize in vitro and in vivo applications of CL and BL imaging for biosensing and therapy. We first focus on in vitro CL imaging from the view of improving the sensitivity. Then, in vivo CL applications in cells and tissues based on different CL systems are demonstrated. Subsequently, the recent in vitro and in vivo applications of BL imaging are summarized. Finally, we provide the insight into the development trends and future perspectives of CL and BL imaging technologies.