Fluorescent Indicator Displacement Assay: Ultrasensitive Detection of Glutathione and Selective Cancer Cell Imaging

Bright Green-Emissive Carbon Nanodots for Sensing and Intracellular Imaging of Cu2+ and Glutathione

Green-emissive carbon nanodots (CDs) with high quantum yield are prepared. The abundant functional groups on the surfaces of CDs can selectively interact with Cu2+. The formed cupric amine complexes induce significant fluorescence quenching. The "on-off" switching can be further adjusted to the fluorescence "on" mode by the introduction of glutathione (GSH), which hinders the interactions between CDs and Cu2+. Based on the fantastic optical behavior of CDs, highly sensitive detection of Cu2+ and GSH can be achieved. Intracellular imaging of the two targets is also validated.

Carbon Dots: Opportunities and Challenges in Cancer Therapy

Recently, carbon dots (CDs) have been actively studied and reported for their various properties. In particular, the specific characteristics of carbon dots have been considered as a possible technique for cancer diagnosis and therapy. This is also a cutting-edge technology that offers fresh ideas for treating various disorders. Though carbon dots are still in their infancy and have not yet shown their value to society, their discovery has already resulted in some noteworthy advancements. The application of CDs indicates conversion in natural imaging. Photography using CDs has demonstrated extraordinary appropriateness in bio-imaging, the discovery of novel drugs, the delivery of targeted genes, bio-sensing, photodynamic therapy, and diagnosis. This review seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of CDs, including their benefits, characteristics, applications, and mode of action. In this overview, many CD design strategies will be highlighted. In addition, we will discuss numerous studies on cytotoxic testing to demonstrate the safety of CDs. The current study will address the production method, mechanism, ongoing research, and application of CDs in cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Fluorescent Sensing of Glutathione and Related Bio-Applications

Glutathione (GSH), as the most abundant low-molecular-weight biological thiol, plays significant roles in vivo. Abnormal GSH levels have been demonstrated to be related to the dysfunction of specific physiological activities and certain kinds of diseases. Therefore, the sensing of GSH is emerging as a critical issue. Cancer, with typical high morbidity and mortality, remains one of the most serious diseases to threaten public health. As it is clear that much more concentrated GSH is present at tumor sites than at normal sites, the in vivo sensing of GSH offers an option for the early diagnosis of cancer. Moreover, by monitoring the amounts of GSH in specific microenvironments, effective diagnosis of ROS levels, neurological diseases, or even stroke has been developed as well. In this review, we focus on the fluorescent methodologies for GSH detection, since they can be conveniently applied in living systems. First, the fluorescent sensing methods are introduced. Then, the principles for fluorescent sensing of GSH are discussed. In addition, the GSH-sensing-related biological applications are reviewed. Finally, the future opportunities in in the areas of fluorescent GSH sensing-in particular, fluorescent GSH-sensing-prompted disease diagnosis-are addressed.

Synthesis of Metal–Organic Frameworks Quantum Dots Composites as Sensors for Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals

Hazardous chemical compounds such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are widespread and part of the materials we use daily. Among these compounds, bisphenol A (BPA) is the most common endocrine-disrupting chemical and is prevalent due to the chemical raw materials used to manufacture thermoplastic polymers, rigid foams, and industrial coatings. General exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals constitutes a serious health hazard, especially to reproductive systems, and can lead to transgenerational diseases in adults due to exposure to these chemicals over several years. Thus, it is necessary to develop sensors for early detection of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. In recent years, the use of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as sensors for EDCs has been explored due to their distinctive characteristics, such as wide surface area, outstanding chemical fastness, structural tuneability, gas storage, molecular separation, proton conductivity, and catalyst activity, among others which can be modified to sense hazardous environmental pollutants such as EDCs. In order to improve the versatility of MOFs as sensors, semiconductor quantum dots have been introduced into the MOF pores to form metal–organic frameworks/quantum dots composites. These composites possess a large optical absorption coefficient, low toxicity, direct bandgap, formidable sensing capacity, high resistance to change under light and tunable visual qualities by varying the size and compositions, which make them useful for applications as sensors for probing of dangerous and risky environmental contaminants such as EDCs and more. In this review, we explore various synthetic strategies of (MOFs), quantum dots (QDs), and metal–organic framework quantum dots composites (MOFs@QDs) as efficient compounds for the sensing of ecological pollutants, contaminants, and toxicants such as EDCs. We also summarize various compounds or materials used in the detection of BPA as well as the sensing ability and capability of MOFs, QDs, and MOFs@QDs composites that can be used as sensors for EDCs and BPA.

Ultrasensitive Glutathione-Mediated Facile Split-Type Electrochemiluminescence Nanoswitch Sensing Platform

Seeking for an advanced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) platform is still an active and continuous theme in the ECL-sensing realm. This work outlines a femtomolar-level and highly selective glutathione (GSH) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) ECL assay strategy using a facile split-type gold nanocluster (AuNC) probe-based ECL platform. The system utilizes GSH as an efficient etching agent to turn on the MnO₂/AuNC-based ECL nanoswitch platform. This method successfully achieves an ultrasensitive detection of GSH, which significantly outperformed other sensors. Based on the above excellent results, GSH-related biological assays have been further established by taking ATP as a model. Combined with the high catalytic oxidation ability of DNAzyme, this ECL sensor can realize ATP assay as low as 1.4 fmol without other complicated exonuclease amplification strategies. Thus, we successfully achieved an ultrahigh sensitivity, extremely wide dynamic range, great simplicity, and strong anti-interference detection of ATP. In addition, the actual sample detection for GSH and ATP exhibits satisfactory results. We believe that our proposed high-performance platform will provide more possibilities for the detection of other GSH-related substances and show great prospect in disease diagnosis and biochemical research.

A sustainable, top-down mechanosynthesis of carbohydrate-functionalized silver nanoparticles

A method for the production of metal nanoparticles with a tribological process is proposed, aiming at minimising power consumption and risk factors related to unsafe unit operations.

Recent advances of fluorescent biosensors based on cyclic signal amplification technology in biomedical detection

The cyclic signal amplification technology has been widely applied for the ultrasensitive detection of many important biomolecules, such as nucleic acids, proteins, enzymes, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), metal ions, exosome, etc. Due to their low content in the complex biological samples, traditional detection methods are insufficient to satisfy the requirements for monitoring those biomolecules. Therefore, effective and sensitive biosensors based on cyclic signal amplification technology are of great significance for the quick and simple diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Fluorescent biosensor based on cyclic signal amplification technology has become a research hotspot due to its simple operation, low cost, short time, high sensitivity and high specificity. This paper introduces several cyclic amplification methods, such as rolling circle amplification (RCA), strand displacement reactions (SDR) and enzyme-assisted amplification (EAA), and summarizes the research progress of using this technology in the detection of different biomolecules in recent years, in order to provide help for the research of more efficient and sensitive detection methods.

Nipecotic-Acid-Tethered, Naphthalene-Diimide-Based, Orange-Emitting Organic Nanoparticles as Targeted Delivery Vehicle and Diagnostic Probe toward GABAA-Receptor-Enriched Cancer Cells

This article demonstrates target-specific cellular imaging of GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) receptor (GABA_AR)-enriched cells (SH-SY5Y and A549) with therapeutic efficacy by naphthalene diimide (NDI)-derived fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONPs). Self-assembly-driven formation of spherical organic particles by nipecotic-acid-tethered l-aspartic acid appended NDI derivative (NDI-nip) took place in DMSO-water through J-type aggregation. NDI-nip having a naphthyl residue and a nipecotic acid unit at both terminals exhibited aggregation-induced emission (AIE) at and above 60% water content in DMSO because of excimer formation at λ_em = 579 nm. The orange-emitting NDI-nip FONPs (1:99 v/v DMSO-water) having excellent cell viability and high photostability were used for selective bioimaging and killing of GABA_AR-overexpressed cancer cells through target-specific delivery of the anticancer drug curcumin. The fluorescence intensity of NDI-nip FONPs were quenched in GABA_AR-enriched neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) and cancerous cells (A549). Notably, in the presence of GABA, the NDI-nip FONPs exhibited their native fluorescence within the same cell lines. Importantly, no such quenching and regaining of NDI-nip FONP emission in the presence of GABA was noted in the case of the noncancerous cell NIH3T3. The killing efficiency of curcumin-loaded NDI-nip FONPs ([curcumin] = 100 μM and [NDI-nip FONPs] = 50 μM) was significantly higher in the cases of SH-SY5Y (88 ± 3%) and A549 (72 ± 2%) than in NIH3T3 (37 ± 2). The presence of a nipecotic acid moiety facilitated the selective cellular internalization of NDI-nip FONPs into GABA_AR-overexpressing cells. Hence, these orange-emitting NDI-nip FONPs may be exploited as a targeted diagnostic probe as well as a drug delivery vehicle for GABA_AR-enriched cancer cells.

Nanomolar detection of biothiols via turn-ON fluorescent indicator displacement

A simple, visual colour and turn-ON fluorescent method for the detection of biothiols under physiological conditions is reported. The chemosensing is achieved on the basis of the displacement of BODIPY dyes from the surface of gold nanoparticles.

Aggregation-induced emission compounds based on 9,10-diheteroarylanthracene and their applications in cell imaging

Four centrosymmetric 9,10-diheteroarylanthracene (DHA) derivatives, including 9,10-dithienylanthracene (DTA), 9,10-difurylanthracene (DFA), 9,10-di-(N-t-butyloxycarboryl-2-pyrryl)anthracene (DBPA), and 9,10-dipyrrylanthracene (DPA) have been synthesized and characterized.

Fabrication of Orange-Emitting Organic Nanoparticle-Protamine Conjugate: Fluorimetric Sensor of Heparin

Among the diverse sensing techniques, fluorimetric detection dominates over the other methods because of its rapid signaling, high selectivity and sensitivity, and operational simplicity. This present article delineates fabrication of a fluorescent organic nanoparticle-protamine (FONP-Pro) conjugate for selective and sensitive detection of heparin simply by exploitation of the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) property of the FONPs. Naphthalene diimide-based bola-type amphiphilic molecules (NDI-1) comprise a naphthyl residue and a 3-aminopyridyl unit at both terminals, forming organic nanoparticles in a dimethyl sulfoxide-water binary solvent mixture, and exhibited AIE through excimer formation. The presence of naphthyl residue in the molecular backbone facilitates the intramolecular charge transfer to generate orange-emitting (λ_em = 594 nm) AIE-luminogen (AIE-gen). The aminopyridine residues within NDI-1 induced negative surface charge on NDI-1 FONPs, which facilitated interaction with positively charged protamine (Pro) to construct FONP-Pro conjugates. Formation of this NDI-1 FONP-Pro conjugate through the interaction between Pro and FONP drastically reduced the orange emission intensity (fluorescence off) of the AIE-gens. Interestingly, addition of heparin to this FONP-Pro conjugate turned on the fluorescence signal of FONPs through unwinding of the Pro from the FONP surface because of a strong binding affinity between heparin and Pro. Formation of the FONP-Pro conjugate and fluorimetric sensing of heparin was investigated by monitoring the change in emission behavior of NDI-1 FONPs. Also, the heparin-sensing was found to be highly selective against many other biomolecules including proteins, enzymes, and DNA. Hence, a selective and efficient heparin sensor (FONP-Pro) was developed having a limit of detection of 12 nM simply by utilizing the fluorescence "turn-off" and "turn-on" mechanism of NDI-1 FONP.

3D quantum theranosomes: a new direction for label-free theranostics

Quantum-scale materials offer great potential in the field of cancer theranostics. At present, quantum materials are severely limited due to 0D & 1D materials lacking biocompatibility, resulting in coated materials with labelled tags for fluorescence excitation. In addition, the application of magnetic quantum materials has not been reported to date for cancer theranostics. In this current research study, we introduce the concept of applying nickel-based magnetic 3D quantum theranosomes for label-free broadband fluorescence enhancement and cancer therapy. To begin with, we present two (primary and secondary) distinct quantum theranosomes for cancer detection and differentiation (HeLa & MDAMB-231) from mammalian fibroblast cells. The primary theranosomes exhibit a metal enhanced fluorescence (MEF) property through localized surface plasmon resonance to act as cancer detectors, whereas the secondary theranosomes act as cancer differentiators through the fluorescence quenching of HeLa cancer cells. Apart from the above, the synthesized magnetic quantum theranosomes introduced therapeutic functionality wherein the theranosomes mimicked a tumor microenvironment by selectively accelerating the proliferation of mammalian fibroblasts cells while at the same time inducing cancer therapy. These quantum theranosomes were synthesized using femtosecond pulse laser ablation and self-assembled to form an interconnected 3D structure. The 3D architecture and the physicochemical properties of the laser synthesized quantum theranosomes closely resembled a tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, we anticipate that our current recorded findings can shed further light upon these unique magnetic quantum theranosomes as potential contenders towards opening an entirely new direction in the field of cancer theranostics.

Tunable Aggregation-Induced Multicolor Emission of Organic Nanoparticles by Varying the Substituent in Naphthalene Diimide

In this article, we have designed l-aspartic acid-linked naphthalene diimide (NDI)-based amphiphilic molecules having a benzyl ester group at both the terminals with varying substituents (NAB-1-5). The substituent was judiciously modified from an electron-withdrawing group (EWG) like nitrobenzene to an electron-donating group (EDG), methoxybenzene, and finally to an extended aromatic residue (naphthalene) to regulate the π-electron density at the terminal of NDI derivatives. All of the synthesized NDI derivatives were molecularly dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and with an increase in the water content within the DMSO solution, the NDI derivative starts to get self-assembled through J-aggregation at and above 40% water content. Self-assembled spherical organic nanoparticles formed in 99% water in DMSO ( f_w = 99%) were characterized by microscopic studies. All of the NDI derivatives showed very weak emission in the molecularly dissolved state (DMSO). Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) was observed for the NDI derivatives (except NAB-1) at the self-assembled state through excimer formation. Upon excitation at 350 nm, the emission maxima of these NDI-based AIE luminogens (AIE-gens) (NAB-2-5) get red shifted from 463 to 588 nm upon altering the substitution from EWG to EDG at the donor site. Inclusion of proper donor-acceptor moieties in the molecular backbone of the self-assembling unit can govern the AIE in combination with the intramolecular charge-transfer process. Consequently, the emission color of these AIE-gens (NAB-2-5) gets tuned from cyan blue to faint green to strong green and finally to bright orange. The tunable aggregation-induced multicolor emission was investigated by different spectroscopic techniques. These cytocompatible, multicolor-emitting fluorescent organic nanoparticles were utilized for bioimaging applications.

An AIE-based metallo-supramolecular assembly enabling an indicator displacement assay inside living cells

We report a novel metallo-supramolecular assembly (Z/E-TPE2CyZn-PV), which consists of a tetraphenylethene (TPE)-based dinuclear Zn2+-cyclen complex and pyrocatechol violet (PV). The assembly is developed for indicator-displacement assays (IDAs) inside living cells.

A Gold Nanoparticle Bio-Optical Transponder to Dynamically Monitor Intracellular pH

A pH-sensitive bio-optical transponder (pH-BOT) capable of simultaneously reporting the timing of intracellular DNA cargo release from a gold nanoparticle (AuNP) and the evolving intracellular pH (pH i) during endosomal maturation is demonstrated. The pH-BOT is designed with a triple-dye-labeled duplex DNA appended to a 6.6 nm AuNP, utilizing pH-responsive fluorescein paired with DyLight405 as a surface energy transfer (SET) coupled dye pair to ratiometrically report the pH at and after cargo release. A non-SET-coupled dye, DyLight 700, is used to provide dynamic tracking throughout the experiment. The pH-BOT beacon of the cargo uptake, release, and processing was visualized using live-cell confocal fluorescent microscopy in Chinese hamster ovary cells, and it was observed that while maturation of endosomes carrying pH-BOT is slowed significantly, the pH-BOT is distributed throughout the endolysosomal system while remaining at pH ∼6. This observed decoupling of endosomal maturation from acidification lends support to those models that propose that pH alone is not sufficient to explain endosomal maturation and may enable greater insight into our understanding of the fundamental processes of biology.

Latent Naphthalimide Bearing Water-Soluble Nanoprobes with Catechol-Fe(III) Cores for in Vivo Fluorescence Imaging of Intracellular Thiols

Here, a novel latent naphthalimide bearing water-soluble nanoprobes with catechol-Fe(III) cores (Fe@LNNPs) was designed, synthesized, and evaluated for in vivo fluorescence imaging of intracellular thiols, as various diseases are associated with overexpression of cellular biothiols. The Fe@LNNPs are mainly composed of three components. The inner part constitutes pyrocatechol groups, which can coordinate with Fe(III) to form a cross-linked core for improving the stability in the complex biological environment. The naphthalimide group is linked by disulfide with the core to quench the probe fluorescence. The outer part is designed to be a hydrophilic glycol corona for prolonging blood circulation. Also, a biotin group can be easily introduced into the nanoprobe for actively targeting the HepG2 cells. The fluorescence spectra reveals that the Fe@LNNPs can be reduced explicitly by glutathione to trigger the fluorescence emission. Confocal microscopic imagings and animal experiments manifest that the Fe@LNNPs, especially with biotin groups, have much better fluorescence signal imaging compared to the reported small-molecule probe 1' both in vitro and in vivo (up to 24 h). The Fe@LNNPs thus feature great advantages such as specificity, stability, biocompatibility, and long retention time for thiol-recognition imaging and hold potential applications in clinical cancer diagnosis.

Zincke's Salt-Substituted Tetraphenylethylenes for Fluorometric Turn-On Detection of Glutathione and Fluorescence Imaging of Cancer Cells

In this paper, we report Zincke's salt-substituted tetraphenylethylenes 1a and 1b with Cl^- and PF₆^- as counteranions, respectively. The crystal structure of 1b was determined. Both 1a and 1b are almost nonemissive even in the aggregated states. This is attributed to the photoinduced electron transfer from 2,2-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-phenylvinyl-phenyl unit to 1-(2,4-dinitrophenyl) pyridinium unit within 1a and 1b. The results demonstrate that the emissions of 1a and 1b in aqueous solution can be switched on upon either reaction with GSH or light irradiation. On the basis of the reaction between 1a and GSH, 1a can be utilized for the fluorescence turn-on detection of GSH selectively, and GSH with concentration as low as 36.9 nM can be detected. The transformation of 1b into 2 under light irradiation results in the fluorescence imaging of Hela and U2OS cells and phototoxicity toward Hela and U2OS cells after the protonation of pyridine unit in 2 because of the acidic environment of tumor cells. Aggregates of 1b can be up-taken by Hela and U2OS cells and fluorescence imaging has been successfully recorded with CLSM. Moreover, the protonated form of 2 can function as photosensitizer and 1b shows phototoxicity toward tumor cells such as Hela and U2OS cells.

Progress in internal/external stimuli responsive fluorescent carbon nanoparticles for theranostic and sensing applications

In the past decade, fluorescent carbon nanoparticles (FNPs) prepared from natural resources and biomaterials have been attractive due to their various properties, such as unique optical properties, great biocompatibility, water dispersion, and facile surface functionalization. Depending on the properties of the carbon sources and the subsequent carbonization processes, internal/external stimuli responsive carbon nanoparticles have been generated that are useful for theranostic and sensing applications. In this review, we highlight the recent developments in the use of FNPs in nanomedicine in great detail, particularly for FNPs responding to internal stimuli, including redox, pH, and enzymes, and external stimuli, including temperature, light, and magnetic fields, for drug delivery and sensing applications. Furthermore, we hope to provide insight that could stimulate further research aiming for unparalleled useful applications. As a result, there are many possibilities that can be explored from this smart material.

MRI/Fluorescence bimodal amplification system for cellular GSH detection and tumor cell imaging based on manganese dioxide nanosheet

Here, we report a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/fluorescence bimodal amplification platform for the detection of glutathione (GSH) on the basis of redoxable manganese dioxide (MnO₂) nanosheets, which can be readily applied as a DNA nanocarrier, fluorescence quencher, and intracellular GSH-activated MRI contrast agent. The binding of aptamers that absorbed on the MnO₂ nanosheets to their target can facilitating the endocytosis of target-nanoprobes. Once endocytosed, the MnO₂ nanosheets can react with cellular GSH, resulting in the disintegration of nanosheets to generate plenty of Mn²⁺ ions for MRI and releases the primers which were adsorbed on the MnO₂ nanosheets. Then the rolling circle amplification (RCA) reaction was initiated to amplify the fluorescence signal. In addition, after treatment with GSH, the MnO₂ nanosheets were reduced and then most of the fluorescence was recovered. Therefore, this MnO₂ nanoprobe exhibits excellent selectivity, suggesting a potential detection platform for analyzing the glutathione level in cells.

Facile electrochemiluminescence sensing platform based on high-quantum-yield gold nanocluster probe for ultrasensitive glutathione detection

This report outlines a highly sensitive and facile electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensing platform based on a novel high-quantum-yield Au-nanocluster (AuNC) probe for glutathione (GSH) detection. Owing to the prominent quenching effect of GSH on the ECL of the AuNCs, the proposed ECL nanosensor showed a wide response to GSH in the ranges of 1.0 × 10^-9-1.0 × 10^-5M and 1.0 × 10^-5-1.0 × 10^-1M and a low detection limit of 3.2 × 10^-10M. In addition, the proposed system exhibited good selectivity for GSH in the presence of other chemical/biological interferences. Moreover, since no further functionalization of AuNC-based sensor interface was necessary, together with the stability, high sensitivity and selectivity of the proposed nanosensor, this convenient approach was able to successfully detect GSH in both of human urine samples and blood samples with excellent recoveries, which indicated its promising application under physiological conditions. Of significant importance is that this study not only helps in gaining a better understanding of the applicability of the ECL properties of AuNCs, but also provides a new avenue for the design and development of ECL sensors based on the novel high-quantum-yield AuNC-based probe and other functional-metal-based NC probes.

Sensor arrays made by self-organized nanoreceptors for detection and discrimination of carboxylate drugs

An array of self-organized nanoreceptors based on monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles in combination with different commercially available fluorescent dyes can detect and discriminate nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Mercaptopyrimidine-directed gold nanoclusters: a suitable fluorescent probe for intracellular glutathione imaging and selective cancer cell identification

Herein, we demonstrate a novel, facile, and suitable strategy for imaging GSH based on mercaptopyrimidine-directed gold nanoclusters (Au NCs).

l-Phenylalanine-Tethered, Naphthalene Diimide-Based, Aggregation-Induced, Green-Emitting Organic Nanoparticles

The present article delineates the formation of green fluorescent organic nanoparticle through supramolecular aggregation of naphthalene diimide (NDI)-based, carboxybenzyl-protected, l-phenylalanine-appended bola-amphiphile, NDI-1. The amphiphilic molecule is soluble in DMSO, and, with gradual addition of water within the DMSO solution, the amphiphile starts to self-assemble via H-type aggregation to form spherical nanoparticles. These self-assembly of NDI-1 in the presence of a high amount of water exhibited aggregation-induced emission (AIE) through excimer formation. Notably, in the presence of 99% water content, the amphiphile forms spherical aggregated nanoparticles as confirmed from microscopic investigations and dynamic light scattering study. Interestingly, the emission maxima of molecularly dissolved NDI-1 (weak blue fluorescence) red-shifted upon aggregation with increase in water concentration and led to the formation of green-emitting fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONPs) at 99% water content. These green-emitting FONPs were utilized in cell imaging as well as for efficient transportation of anticancer drug curcumin inside mammalian cells.