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Huang Y, Yu Z, Peng J, Yu Q, Xu H, Yang M, Yuan S, Zhang Q, Yang Y, Gao J, Yuan Y. Amino-Acid-Encoded Supramolecular Nanostructures for Persistent Bioluminescence Imaging of Tumor. Adv Healthc Mater 2024; 13:e2401244. [PMID: 38934340 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202401244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is a powerful technique for noninvasive monitoring of biological processes and cell transplantation. Nonetheless, the application of D-luciferin, which is widely employed as a bioluminescent probe, is restricted in long-term in vivo tracking due to its short half-life. This study presents a novel approach using amino acid-encoded building blocks to accumulate and preserve luciferin within tumor cells, through a supramolecular self-assembly strategy. The building block platform called Cys(SEt)-X-CBT (CXCBT, with X representing any amino acid) utilizes a covalent-noncovalent hybrid self-assembly mechanism to generate diverse luciferin-containing nanostructures in tumor cells after glutathione reduction. These nanostructures exhibit efficient tumor-targeted delivery as well as sequence-dependent well-designed morphologies and prolonged bioluminescence performance. Among the selected amino acids (X = Glu, Lys, Leu, Phe), Cys(SEt)-Lys-CBT (CKCBT) exhibits the superior long-lasting bioluminescence signal (up to 72 h) and good biocompatibility. This study demonstrates the potential of amino-acid-encoded supramolecular self-assembly as a convenient and effective method for developing BLI probes for long-term biological tracking and disease imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Huang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Zian Yu
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Jiancheng Peng
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Qin Yu
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Hao Xu
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology, Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
| | - Miaomiao Yang
- Clinical Pathology Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, China
| | - Sijie Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Qianzijing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Yanyun Yang
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Jin Gao
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
- Hefei Ion Medical Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230088, China
| | - Yue Yuan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
- Hefei Ion Medical Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230088, China
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2
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Hong Y, Yang Y, Wang C, Huang Y, Shen W, Shen Z, Lun Z, Zhang J, Wang C, Yuan Y. Luciferase-Loaded Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles for Persistent Bioluminescence Imaging of Orthotopic Breast Tumors. Anal Chem 2024; 96:14320-14325. [PMID: 39208257 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c02289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is an important noninvasive optical imaging technique that has been widely used to monitor many biological processes due to its high sensitivity, resolution, and signal-to-noise ratio. However, the BLI technique based on the firefly luciferin-luciferase system is limited by the expression of exogenous luciferase and the short half-life of firefly luciferin, which pose challenges for long-term tracking in vivo. To solve the problems, here we rationally designed an intelligent strategy for persistent BLI in tumors by combining luciferase-loaded calcium phosphate nanoparticles (Luc@CaP NPs) to provide luciferase and the probe Cys(SEt)-Lys-CBT (CKCBT) to slowly produce the luciferase substrate amino luciferin (Am-luciferin). Luc@CaP NPs constructed with CaP as a carrier could enable luciferase activity to be maintained in vivo for at least 12 h. And compared to the conventional substrate luciferin, CKCBT apparently prolonged the BL time by up to 2 h through GSH-induced intracellular self-assembly and subsequent protease degradation-induced release of Am-luciferin. We anticipate that this strategy could be applied for clinical translation in more disease diagnosis and treatment in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajian Hong
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Yanyun Yang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Chenchen Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Yifan Huang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Weicheng Shen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Zhiqiang Shen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Zhiyou Lun
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Jia Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Congxiao Wang
- Department of the Interventional Medical Center, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266000, China
| | - Yue Yuan
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
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Huang Y, Yang G, Yu Z, Tong T, Huang Y, Zhang Q, Hong Y, Jiang J, Zhang G, Yuan Y. Amino-Acid-Encoded Bioinspired Supramolecular Self-Assembly of Multimorphological Nanocarriers. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2311351. [PMID: 38453673 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202311351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Supramolecular self-assembly has emerged as an efficient tool to construct well-organized nanostructures for biomedical applications by small organic molecules. However, the physicochemical properties of self-assembled nanoarchitectures are greatly influenced by their morphologies, mechanical properties, and working mechanisms, making it challenging to design and screen ideal building blocks. Herein, using a biocompatible firefly-sourced click reaction between the cyano group of 2-cyano-benzothiazole (CBT) and the 1,2-aminothiol group of cysteine (Cys), an amino-acid-encoded supramolecular self-assembly platform Cys(SEt)-X-CBT (X represents any amino acid) is developed to incorporate both covalent and noncovalent interactions for building diverse morphologies of nanostructures with bioinspired response mechanism, providing a convenient and rapid strategy to construct site-specific nanocarriers for drug delivery, cell imaging, and enzyme encapsulation. Additionally, it is worth noting that the biodegradation of Cys(SEt)-X-CBT generated nanocarriers can be easily tracked via bioluminescence imaging. By caging either the thiol or amino groups in Cys with other stimulus-responsive sites and modifying X with probes or drugs, a variety of multi-morphological and multifunctional nanomedicines can be readily prepared for a wide range of biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Huang
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
| | - Guokun Yang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Zian Yu
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
| | - Tong Tong
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
| | - Yan Huang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Qianzijing Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Yajian Hong
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
| | - Jun Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
| | - Guozhen Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Yue Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China
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Gu X, Wang X, Cai W, Han Y, Zhang QW. Monofluorophore-based Two-Photon Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe for the Quantitative Imaging of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase in Live Neurons and Mouse Brain Tissues. ACS Sens 2024; 9:3387-3393. [PMID: 38850514 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.4c00721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) plays a crucial role in the metabolism of the endocannabinoid system by hydrolyzing a series of bioactive amides, whose abnormal levels are associated with neuronal disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, due to the lack of suitable quantitative sensing tools, real-time and accurate monitoring of the activity of FAAH in living systems remains unresolved. Herein, a novel enzyme-activated near-infrared two-photon ratiometric fluorescent probe (CANP) based on a naphthylvinylpyridine monofluorophore is successfully developed, in which the electron-withdrawing amide moiety is prone to be hydrolyzed to an electron-donating amine group under the catalysis of FAAH, leading to the activation of the intramolecular charge transfer process and the emergence of a new 80 nm red-shifted emission, thereby achieving a ratiometric luminescence response. Benefiting from the high selectivity, high sensitivity, and ratiometric response to FAAH, the probe CANP is successfully used to quantitatively monitor and image the FAAH levels in living neurons, by which an amyloid β (Aβ)-induced upregulation of endogenous FAAH activity is observed. Similar increases in FAAH activity are found in various brain regions of AD model mice, indicating a potential fatty acid amide metabolite-involved pathway for the pathological deterioration of AD. Moreover, our quantitative FAAH inhibition experiments further demonstrate the great value of CANP as an efficient visual probe for in situ and precise assessment of FAAH inhibitors in complex living systems, assisting the discovery of FAAH-related therapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Gu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, Department of Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, P. R. China
| | - Xuewei Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, Department of Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, P. R. China
| | - Wenyan Cai
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, Department of Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, P. R. China
| | - Yujie Han
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, Department of Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, P. R. China
| | - Qi-Wei Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, Department of Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, P. R. China
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Zhong D, Hou X, Pan D, Li Z, Gong Q, Luo K. Bioorthogonal In Situ Polymerization of Dendritic Agents for Hijacking Lysosomes and Enhancing Antigen Presentation in Cancer Cells. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2403588. [PMID: 38490170 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202403588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2024] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
A low-generation lysine dendrimer, SPr-G2, responds to intracellular glutathione to initiate bioorthogonal in situ polymerization, resulting in the formation of large assemblies in mouse breast cancer cells. The intracellular large assemblies of SPr-G2 can interact with lysosomes to induce lysosome expansion and enhance lysosomal membrane permeabilization, leading to major histocompatibility complex class I upregulation on tumor cell surfaces and ultimately tumor cell death. Moreover, the use of the SPr-G2 dendrimer to conjugate the chemotherapeutic drug, camptothecin (CPT), can boost the therapeutic potency of CPT. Excellent antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo are obtained from the combinational treatment of the SPr-G2 dendrimer and CPT. This combinational effect also enhances antitumor immunity through promoting activation of cytotoxic T cells in tumor tissues and maturation of dendritic cells. This study can shed new light on the development of peptide dendritic agents for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Zhong
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xingyu Hou
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Dayi Pan
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Zhiqian Li
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, and Research Unit of Psychoradiology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Department of Radiology, West China Xiamen Hospital of Sichuan University, Xiamen, 361000, China
| | - Kui Luo
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, and Research Unit of Psychoradiology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
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6
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Jiang Y, Zhao M, Miao J, Chen W, Zhang Y, Miao M, Yang L, Li Q, Miao Q. Acidity-activatable upconversion afterglow luminescence cocktail nanoparticles for ultrasensitive in vivo imaging. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2124. [PMID: 38459025 PMCID: PMC10923940 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46436-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Activatable afterglow luminescence nanoprobes enabling switched "off-on" signals in response to biomarkers have recently emerged to achieve reduced unspecific signals and improved imaging fidelity. However, such nanoprobes always use a biomarker-interrupted energy transfer to obtain an activatable signal, which necessitates a strict distance requisition between a donor and an acceptor moiety (<10 nm) and hence induces low efficiency and non-feasibility. Herein, we report organic upconversion afterglow luminescence cocktail nanoparticles (ALCNs) that instead utilize acidity-manipulated singlet oxygen (1O2) transfer between a donor and an acceptor moiety with enlarged distance and thus possess more efficiency and flexibility to achieve an activatable afterglow signal. After in vitro validation of acidity-activated afterglow luminescence, ALCNs achieve in vivo imaging of 4T1-xenograft subcutaneous tumors in female mice and orthotopic liver tumors in male mice with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). As a representative targeting trial, Bio-ALCNs with biotin modification prove the enhanced targeting ability, sensitivity, and specificity for pulmonary metastasis and subcutaneous tumor imaging via systemic administration of nanoparticles in female mice, which also implies the potential broad utility of ALCNs for tumor imaging with diverse design flexibility. Therefore, this study provides an innovative and general approach for activatable afterglow imaging with better imaging performance than fluorescence imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Min Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Jia Miao
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Wan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Minqian Miao
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Li Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Qing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Qingqing Miao
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
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Ghaemi B, Tanwar S, Singh A, Arifin DR, McMahon MT, Barman I, Bulte JWM. Cell-Penetrating and Enzyme-Responsive Peptides for Targeted Cancer Therapy: Role of Arginine Residue Length on Cell Penetration and In Vivo Systemic Toxicity. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:11159-11171. [PMID: 38385360 PMCID: PMC11362383 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c14908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
For the improved delivery of cancer therapeutics and imaging agents, the conjugation of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) increases the cellular uptake and water solubility of agents. Among the various CPPs, arginine-rich peptides have been the most widely used. Combining CPPs with enzyme-responsive peptides presents an innovative strategy to target specific intracellular enzymes in cancer cells and when combined with the appropriate click chemistry can enhance theranostic drug delivery through the formation of intracellular self-assembled nanostructures. However, one drawback of CPPs is their high positive charge which can cause nonspecific binding, leading to off-target accumulation and potential toxicity. Hence, balancing cell-specific penetration, toxicity, and biocompatibility is essential for future clinical efficacy. We synthesized six cancer-specific, legumain-responsive RnAANCK peptides containing one to six arginine residues, with legumain being an asparaginyl endopeptidase that is overexpressed in aggressive prostate tumors. When conjugated to Alexa Fluor 488, R1-R6AANCK peptides exhibited a concentration- and time-dependent cell penetration in prostate cancer cells, which was higher for peptides with higher R values, reaching a plateau after approximately 120 min. Highly aggressive DU145 prostate tumor cells, but not less aggressive LNCaP cells, self-assembled nanoparticles in the cytosol after the cleavage of the legumain-specific peptide. The in vivo biocompatibility was assessed in mice after the intravenous injection of R1-R6AANCK peptides, with concentrations ranging from 0.0125 to 0.4 mmol/kg. The higher arginine content in R4-6 peptides showed blood and urine indicators for the impairment of bone marrow, liver, and kidney function in a dose-dependent manner, with instant hemolysis and morbidity in extreme cases. These findings underscore the importance of designing peptides with the optimal arginine residue length for a proper balance of cell-specific penetration, toxicity, and in vivo biocompatibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behnaz Ghaemi
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Swati Tanwar
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Aruna Singh
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Inc., Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Dian R Arifin
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Michael T McMahon
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Inc., Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Ishan Barman
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Jeff W M Bulte
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Inc., Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
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8
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Tanwar S, Ghaemi B, Raj P, Singh A, Wu L, Yuan Y, Arifin DR, McMahon MT, Bulte JWM, Barman I. A Smart Intracellular Self-Assembling Bioorthogonal Raman Active Nanoprobe for Targeted Tumor Imaging. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2304164. [PMID: 37715297 PMCID: PMC10700673 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202304164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
Inspired by the principle of in situ self-assembly, the development of enzyme-activated molecular nanoprobes can have a profound impact on targeted tumor detection. However, despite their intrinsic promise, obtaining an optical readout of enzyme activity with high specificity in native milieu has proven to be challenging. Here, a fundamentally new class of Raman-active self-assembling bioorthogonal enzyme recognition (nanoSABER) probes for targeted tumor imaging is reported. This class of Raman probes presents narrow spectral bands reflecting their vibrational fingerprints and offers an attractive solution for optical imaging at different bio-organization levels. The optical beacon harnesses an enzyme-responsive peptide sequence, unique tumor-penetrating properties, and vibrational tags with stretching frequencies in the cell-silent Raman window. The design of nanoSABER is tailored and engineered to transform into a supramolecular structure exhibiting distinct vibrational signatures in presence of target enzyme, creating a direct causality between enzyme activity and Raman signal. Through the integration of substrate-specific for tumor-associated enzyme legumain, unique capabilities of nanoSABER for imaging enzyme activity at molecular, cellular, and tissue levels in combination with machine learning models are shown. These results demonstrate that the nanoSABER probe may serve as a versatile platform for Raman-based recognition of tumor aggressiveness, drug accumulation, and therapeutic response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swati Tanwar
- Department of Mechanical EngineeringJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMD21218USA
| | - Behnaz Ghaemi
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological ScienceThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMD21205USA
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology ProgramInstitute for Cell EngineeringThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMD21205USA
| | - Piyush Raj
- Department of Mechanical EngineeringJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMD21218USA
| | - Aruna Singh
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological ScienceThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMD21205USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain ImagingKennedy Krieger Inc.BaltimoreMD21205USA
| | - Lintong Wu
- Department of Mechanical EngineeringJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMD21218USA
| | - Yue Yuan
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Science and Technology of China96 Jinzhai RoadHefeiAnhui230026China
| | - Dian R. Arifin
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological ScienceThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMD21205USA
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology ProgramInstitute for Cell EngineeringThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMD21205USA
| | - Michael T. McMahon
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological ScienceThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMD21205USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain ImagingKennedy Krieger Inc.BaltimoreMD21205USA
| | - Jeff W. M. Bulte
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological ScienceThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMD21205USA
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology ProgramInstitute for Cell EngineeringThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMD21205USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain ImagingKennedy Krieger Inc.BaltimoreMD21205USA
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMD21218USA
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular EngineeringJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMD21218USA
- Department of OncologyJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMD21231USA
| | - Ishan Barman
- Department of Mechanical EngineeringJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMD21218USA
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological ScienceThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMD21205USA
- Department of OncologyJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMD21231USA
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9
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Chang MS, Lee CY, Liu ES, Chao H, Wu HY, Chang YY, Liu YL, Chen YT, Su YC, Wang YT, Cheng TL, Yen CH, Lin CW, Huang HK, Lin WW. A Low-Cost, Sensitive Reporter System Using Membrane-Tethered Horseradish Peroxidase for Efficient Gene Expression Analysis. Anal Chem 2023; 95:14341-14349. [PMID: 37715702 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c02684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/18/2023]
Abstract
Reporter gene assays are essential for high-throughput analysis, such as drug screening or determining downstream signaling activation/inhibition. However, use of this technology has been hampered by the high cost of the substrate (e.g., d-Luciferin (d-Luc)) in the most common firefly luciferase (FLuc) reporter gene assay. Although alternate luciferase is available worldwide, its substrate has remained expensive, and a more affordable option is still in demand. Here, we present a membrane-tethered horseradish peroxidase (mHRP), a new reporter system composed of a cell membrane expressing HRP that can preserve its enzymatic function on the cell surface, facilitates contact with HRP substrates (e.g., ABTS and TMB), and avoids the cell lysis process and the use of the high-priced luciferase substrate. An evaluation of the light signal sensitivity of mHRP compared to FLuc showed that both had comparable signal sensitivity. We also identified an extended substrate half-life of more than 5-fold that of d-Luc. Of note, this strategy provided a more stable detection signal, and the cell lysis process is not mandatory. Furthermore, with this strategy, we decreased the total amount of time taken for analysis and increased the time of detection limit of the reporter assay. Pricing analysis showed a one-third to one twenty-eighth price drop per single test of reporter assay. Given the convenience and stability of the mHRP reporter system, we believe that our strategy is suitable for use as an alternative to the luciferase reporter assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mu-Shen Chang
- PhD Program in Life Science, College of Life Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Yi Lee
- Department of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, College of Life Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - En-Shuo Liu
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Hsuan Chao
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Yu Wu
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Yen Chang
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Ling Liu
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
- Drug Development and Value Creation Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708 Taiwan
| | - Yu-Tung Chen
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Cheng Su
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300093, Taiwan
- Drug Development and Value Creation Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708 Taiwan
| | - Yeng-Tseng Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, Post Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
- Drug Development and Value Creation Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708 Taiwan
| | - Tian-Lu Cheng
- Department of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
- Drug Development and Value Creation Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708 Taiwan
| | - Chia-Hung Yen
- Graduate Institute of Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708 Taiwan
- Drug Development and Value Creation Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708 Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Wei Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
- Drug Development and Value Creation Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708 Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Kai Huang
- Department of Medical Laboratory, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung 80284, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Wei Lin
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
- Drug Development and Value Creation Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708 Taiwan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Post Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708 Taiwan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, 80708 Taiwan
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10
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Tanwar S, Wu L, Zahn N, Raj P, Ghaemi B, Chatterjee A, Bulte JWM, Barman I. Targeted Enzyme Activity Imaging with Quantitative Phase Microscopy. NANO LETTERS 2023; 23:4602-4608. [PMID: 37154678 PMCID: PMC10798004 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) is a powerful optical imaging modality for label-free, rapid, and three-dimensional (3D) monitoring of cells and tissues. However, molecular imaging of important intracellular biomolecules such as enzymes remains a largely unexplored area for QPI. Herein, we introduce a fundamentally new approach by designing QPI contrast agents that allow sensitive detection of intracellular biomolecules. We report a new class of bio-orthogonal QPI-nanoprobes for in situ high-contrast refractive index (RI) imaging of enzyme activity. The nanoprobes feature silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) having higher RI than endogenous cellular components and surface-anchored cyanobenzothiazole-cysteine (CBT-Cys) conjugated enzyme-responsive peptide sequences. The nanoprobes specifically aggregated in cells with target enzyme activity, increasing intracellular RI and enabling precise visualization of intracellular enzyme activity. We envision that this general design of QPI-nanoprobes could open doors for spatial-temporal mapping of enzyme activity with direct implications for disease diagnosis and evaluating the therapeutic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swati Tanwar
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Lintong Wu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Noah Zahn
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Piyush Raj
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Behnaz Ghaemi
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
| | - Arnab Chatterjee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Jeff W M Bulte
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
- F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Inc., Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA
| | - Ishan Barman
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA
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11
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Hu X, Tang R, Bai L, Liu S, Liang G, Sun X. CBT‐Cys click reaction for optical bioimaging in vivo. VIEW 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/viw.20220065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
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12
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Realization of firefly bioluminescence cycle in vitro and in cells. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 220:114860. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2022.114860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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13
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Lucero MY, Gardner SH, Yadav AK, Borri A, Zhao Z, Chan J. Activity-based Photoacoustic Probes Reveal Elevated Intestinal MGL and FAAH Activity in a Murine Model of Obesity. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202211774. [PMID: 36083191 PMCID: PMC9613605 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202211774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Obesity is a chronic health condition characterized by the accumulation of excessive body fat which can lead to and exacerbate cardiovascular disease, type-II diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer through systemic inflammation. Unfortunately, visualizing key mediators of the inflammatory response, such as monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), in a selective manner is a profound challenge owing to an overlapping substrate scope that involves arachidonic acid (AA). Specifically, these enzymes work in concert to generate AA, which in the context of obesity, has been implicated to control appetite and energy metabolism. In this study, we developed the first selective activity-based sensing probes to detect MGL (PA-HD-MGL) and FAAH (PA-HD-FAAH) activity via photoacoustic imaging. Activation of PA-HD-MGL and PA-HD-FAAH by their target enzymes resulted in 1.74-fold and 1.59-fold signal enhancements, respectively. Due to their exceptional selectivity profiles and deep-tissue photoacoustic imaging capabilities, these probes were employed to measure MGL and FAAH activity in a murine model of obesity. Contrary to conflicting reports suggesting levels of MGL can be attenuated or elevated, our results support the latter. Indeed, we discovered a marked increase of both targets in the gastrointestinal tract. These key findings set the stage to uncover the role of the endocannabinoid pathway in obesity-mediated inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Y. Lucero
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUrbanaIL61801USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and TechnologyUrbanaIL61801USA
| | - Sarah H. Gardner
- Department of BiochemistryUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUrbanaIL61801USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and TechnologyUrbanaIL61801USA
| | - Anuj K. Yadav
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUrbanaIL61801USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and TechnologyUrbanaIL61801USA
| | - Austin Borri
- Department of BiochemistryUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUrbanaIL61801USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and TechnologyUrbanaIL61801USA
| | - Zhenxiang Zhao
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUrbanaIL61801USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and TechnologyUrbanaIL61801USA
| | - Jefferson Chan
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUrbanaIL61801USA
- Department of BiochemistryUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUrbanaIL61801USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and TechnologyUrbanaIL61801USA
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14
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Zhu Y, Zhang X, You Q, Jiang Z. Recent applications of CBT-Cys click reaction in biological systems. Bioorg Med Chem 2022; 68:116881. [PMID: 35716587 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2022.116881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Click chemistry is a hot topic in many research fields. A biocompatible reaction from fireflies has attracted increasing attention since 2009. Herein, we focus on the firefly-sourced click reaction between cysteine (Cys) and 2-cyanobenzothiazole (2-CBT). This reaction has many excellent properties, such as rapidity, simplicity and high selectivity, which make it successfully applied in protein labeling, molecular imaging, drug discovery and other fields. Meanwhile, its unique ability to form nanoparticles expands its applications in biological systems. We review its principle, development, and latest applications in the past 5 years and hope this review provides more profound and comprehensive insights to its further application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuechao Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Qidong You
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - Zhengyu Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
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15
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Li Q, Chen Z, Su L, Wu Y, Du W, Song J. Constructing turn-on bioluminescent probes for real-time imaging of reactive oxygen species during cisplatin chemotherapy. Biosens Bioelectron 2022; 216:114632. [PMID: 35988429 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2022.114632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Real-time imaging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during cisplatin chemotherapy of cancer is imperative to fully reveal their functions in the biological response to cisplatin. Currently, using a bioluminescent probe for real-time imaging of a specific ROS in vivo during cisplatin chemotherapy has not been achieved. Herein, three bioluminescent probes, F Probe, N Probe and P Probe were synthesized for real-time imaging of the primary ROS, O2•-. They all consisted of a bioluminescent emitter D-luciferin (D-LH2) and an O2•--recognition group, and their bioluminescent signal could be turned on in response to O2•-. In vitro results indicated that P Probe was the most suitable one among the three probes for detection of O2•-, with high sensitivity, excellent selectivity and stability. P Probe was then successfully applied for real-time imaging of O2•- in both cancer cells and tumors during cisplatin chemotherapy. The imaging results demonstrated that O2•- amount in cancer cells increased with the increasing dose of cisplatin, and that cisplatin-induced upregulation of O2•- level in cancer cells was upstream of the cancer-killing pathway of cisplatin. We envision that P Probe may serve as an elucidative tool to further explore the role of O2•- in cisplatin chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Li
- MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, PR China
| | - Zhongxiang Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, PR China
| | - Lichao Su
- MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, PR China
| | - Ying Wu
- MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, PR China
| | - Wei Du
- MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, PR China.
| | - Jibin Song
- MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, PR China.
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16
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Huang J, Chen X, Jiang Y, Zhang C, He S, Wang H, Pu K. Renal clearable polyfluorophore nanosensors for early diagnosis of cancer and allograft rejection. NATURE MATERIALS 2022; 21:598-607. [PMID: 35422505 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-022-01224-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Optical nanoparticles are promising diagnostic tools; however, their shallow optical imaging depth and slow clearance from the body have impeded their use for in vivo disease detection. To address these limitations, we develop activatable polyfluorophore nanosensors with biomarker-triggered nanoparticle-to-molecule pharmacokinetic conversion and near-infrared fluorogenic turn-on response. Activatable polyfluorophore nanosensors can accumulate at the disease site and react with disease-associated proteases to undergo in situ enzyme-catalysed depolymerization. This disease-specific interaction liberates renal-clearable fluorogenic fragments from activatable polyfluorophore nanosensors for non-invasive longitudinal urinalysis and outperforms the gold standard blood and urine assays, providing a level of sensitivity and specificity comparable to those of invasive biopsy and flow cytometry analysis. In rodent models, activatable polyfluorophore nanosensors enable ultrasensitive detection of tumours (1.6 mm diameter) and early diagnosis of acute liver allograft rejection. We anticipate that our modular nanosensor platform may be applied for early diagnosis of a range of diseases via a simple urine test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaguo Huang
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xiaona Chen
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine; NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-Organ Transplantation; Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Research Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hepatobiliary Diseases, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, P. R. China
| | - Yuyan Jiang
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Chi Zhang
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shasha He
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hangxiang Wang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine; NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-Organ Transplantation; Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Research Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hepatobiliary Diseases, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, P. R. China
| | - Kanyi Pu
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
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17
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High-throughput optical assays for sensing serine hydrolases in living systems and their applications. Trends Analyt Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2022.116620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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18
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Wang A, Fang J, Ye S, Mao Q, Zhao Y, Cui C, Zhang Y, Feng Y, Li J, He L, Qiu L, Shi H. Assembly Transformation Jointly Driven by the LAP Enzyme and GSH Boosting Theranostic Capability for Effective Tumor Therapy. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:59787-59802. [PMID: 34894664 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c21062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Developing intelligent and morphology-transformable nanomaterials that can spatiotemporally undergo stimulus-responsive size transformation holds great promise for improving the tumor delivery efficiency of drugs in vivo. Here, we report a smart size-transformable theranostic probe Ce6-Leu consisting of a leucine amino peptidase (LAP) and glutathione (GSH) dual-responsive moiety, an 1,2-aminothiol group, and a clinically used photosensitizer Ce6. This probe tends to self-assemble into uniform nanoparticles with an initial size of ∼80 nm in aqueous solution owing to the amphiphilic feature. Surprisingly, taking advantage of the biocompatible CBT-Cys condensation reaction, the large nanoprobes can be transformed into tiny nanoparticles (∼23 nm) under the joint action of LAP and GSH in a tumor microenvironment, endowing them with great tumor accumulation and deep tissue penetration. Concomitantly, this LAP/GSH-driven disassembly and size shrinkage of Ce6-Leu can also activate the fluorescence/magnetic resonance signals and the photodynamic effect for enhanced multimodal imaging-guided photodynamic therapy of human liver HepG2 tumors in vivo. More excitingly, the Mn2+-chelating probe (Ce6-Leu@Mn2+) was demonstrated to have the capability to catalyze endogenous H2O2 to persistently release O2 at the hypoxic tumor site, as a consequence improving the oxygen supply to boost the radiotherapy effect. We thus believe that this LAP/GSH-driven size-transformable nanosystem would offer a novel advanced technology to improve the drug delivery efficiency for achieving precise tumor diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
| | - Jing Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
| | - Shuyue Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
| | - Qiulian Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
| | - Yan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
| | - Chaoxiang Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
| | - Yuqi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
| | - Yali Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
| | - Jiachen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
| | - Lei He
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
| | - Ling Qiu
- Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi 214063, P. R. China
| | - Haibin Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China
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19
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Sun X, Dong Y, Liu Y, Song N, Li F, Yang D. Self-assembly of artificial architectures in living cells — design and applications. Sci China Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11426-021-1091-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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20
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Abstract
Optical imaging is an indispensable tool in clinical diagnostics and fundamental biomedical research. Autofluorescence-free optical imaging, which eliminates real-time optical excitation to minimize background noise, enables clear visualization of biological architecture and physiopathological events deep within living subjects. Molecular probes especially developed for autofluorescence-free optical imaging have been proven to remarkably improve the imaging sensitivity, penetration depth, target specificity, and multiplexing capability. In this Review, we focus on the advancements of autofluorescence-free molecular probes through the lens of particular molecular or photophysical mechanisms that produce long-lasting luminescence after the cessation of light excitation. The versatile design strategies of these molecular probes are discussed along with a broad range of biological applications. Finally, challenges and perspectives are discussed to further advance the next-generation autofluorescence-free molecular probes for in vivo imaging and in vitro biosensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyan Jiang
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637457, Singapore
| | - Kanyi Pu
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637457, Singapore.,School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore
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21
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Wu Q, Zhang Q, Yu T, Wang X, Jia C, Zhao Z, Zhao J. Self-Assembled Hybrid Nanogel as a Multifunctional Theranostic Probe for Enzyme-Regulated Ultrasound Imaging and Tumor Therapy. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2021; 4:4244-4253. [PMID: 35006837 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.1c00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Multifunctional theranostic nanoprobes integrated with stimuli-responsive imaging and therapeutic capabilities have shown great potential to enhance the early cancer diagnostic efficacy and therapeutic efficiency. Elevated levels of lactate and hydrogen peroxide have been considered as the characteristic feature of the tumor microenvironment and can thus be exploited for developing promising theranostic strategies. We demonstrate here that the biocompatible and responsive enzyme-based nanogel probe has been designed as a promising theranostic tool to target high lactate and hydrogen peroxide for ultrasound imaging (US) and cancer treatment. We encapsulate the dual enzyme lactate oxidase (LOD) and catalase (CAT) into the self-assembled nanogels to fabricate responsive nanoprobe LOD/CAT-loaded nanogels (LCNGs). The nanoprobes can respond to the lactate and H2O2 rich tumor microenvironment to generate abundant oxygen, which further accumulates into microbubbles for enhanced US imaging. Besides, LCNGs@DOX has been further created by integrating the nanoprobes with doxorubicin (DOX) for cancer therapy. Both in vitro and in vivo results demonstrate enhanced US imaging and effective cell proliferation inhibition of LCNGs@DOX, allowing the preparation of safe and efficient theranostic nanoprobes capable of responsive US imaging and treating tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Wu
- Department of Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Tianyu Yu
- School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xia Wang
- School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Chunping Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai 200050, China
| | - Zonghui Zhao
- Department of Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Jianlong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai 200050, China
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22
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Yuan Y, Raj P, Zhang J, Siddhanta S, Barman I, Bulte JWM. Furin‐Mediated Self‐Assembly of Olsalazine Nanoparticles for Targeted Raman Imaging of Tumors. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202014839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yue Yuan
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science Division of MR Research The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore MD USA
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program Institute for Cell Engineering The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore MD USA
- Department of Chemistry University of Science and Technology of China Hefei Anhui China
| | - Piyush Raj
- Department of Mechanical Engineering The Johns Hopkins University Baltimore MD USA
| | - Jia Zhang
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science Division of MR Research The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore MD USA
| | - Soumik Siddhanta
- Department of Mechanical Engineering The Johns Hopkins University Baltimore MD USA
- Department of Chemistry Indian Institute of Technology Delhi Hauz Khas New Delhi 110016 India
| | - Ishan Barman
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science Division of MR Research The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore MD USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering The Johns Hopkins University Baltimore MD USA
- Department of Oncology The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore MD USA
| | - Jeff W. M. Bulte
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science Division of MR Research The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore MD USA
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program Institute for Cell Engineering The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore MD USA
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23
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Zhou Y, Yin K, Dong H, Yang S, Li J, Luo J, Li Y, Yang R. Long-Lasting Bioluminescence Imaging of the Fibroblast Activation Protein by an Amphiphilic Block Copolymer-Based Probe. Anal Chem 2021; 93:3726-3732. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c03638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yibo Zhou
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cytochemistry, School of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, P. R. China
| | - Keyi Yin
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cytochemistry, School of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, P. R. China
| | - Hao Dong
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cytochemistry, School of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, P. R. China
| | - Sheng Yang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cytochemistry, School of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, P. R. China
| | - JunBin Li
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cytochemistry, School of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, P. R. China
| | - Jinqiu Luo
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cytochemistry, School of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, P. R. China
| | - Yi Li
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical Organic Chemistry and Function Molecule, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ministry of Education, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, P. R. China
| | - Ronghua Yang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cytochemistry, School of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ministry of Education, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, P. R. China
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24
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Yuan Y, Raj P, Zhang J, Siddhanta S, Barman I, Bulte JWM. Furin-Mediated Self-Assembly of Olsalazine Nanoparticles for Targeted Raman Imaging of Tumors. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:3923-3927. [PMID: 33325142 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202014839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Olsalazine (Olsa) is a broad-spectrum anti-cancer agent acting as a DNA-methylation inhibitor. When conjugated to 2-cyano-6-aminobenzothiazole and a peptide substrate specific for the tumor-overexpressed enzyme furin, it can self-assemble into nanoparticles that can be detected by chemical-exchange saturation-transfer magnetic-resonance imaging (CEST MRI). We report here that these nano-assemblies can also be detected with high specificity in furin-overexpressing tumor cells by Raman spectroscopy with a distinct scattering signature and demonstrate the utility of this sensing mechanism in vitro and in vivo. Our findings suggest that Raman spectroscopy could be used for high-resolution image-guided surgery to precisely delineate tumor margins during and after resection in real-time as well as to determine microscopic tumor invasion and multifocal locoregional tumor spread, which are currently impossible to visualize with available imaging technologies, including CEST MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Yuan
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Piyush Raj
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jia Zhang
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Soumik Siddhanta
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India
| | - Ishan Barman
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jeff W M Bulte
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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25
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Zhang M, Guan Y, Dang Z, Zhang P, Zheng Z, Chen L, Kuang W, Wang C, Liang G. Directly observing intracellular nanoparticle formation with nanocomputed tomography. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/43/eaba3190. [PMID: 33097531 PMCID: PMC7608822 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba3190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Directly observing intracellular nanostructure formation remains challenging. In this work, using a rationally designed small-molecule 4-nitrobenzyl carbamate-Cys(SEt)-Asp-Asp-Phe(iodine)-2-cyano-benzothiazole (NBC-Iod-CBT), we directly observed intracellular nanoparticle formation with nanocomputed tomography (nano-CT). In vitro, upon glutathione reduction and nitroreductase (NTR) cleavage, NBC-Iod-CBT undergoes a CBT-Cys click condensation reaction to self-assemble nanoparticles Iod-CBT-NPs with an average linear absorption coefficient (LAC) value of 0.182 ± 0.078 μm-1 to x-ray. Nano-CT imaging of the NBC-Iod-CBT-treated, NTR-overexpressing HeLa cells showed the existence of Iod-CBT-NPs in their cytoplasm with an average LAC value of 0.172 ± 0.032 μm-1 We anticipate that our strategy could help people to deeply understand the formation mechanism of intracellular nanostructures in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miaomiao Zhang
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Yong Guan
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, 42 Hezuohua South Road, Hefei, Anhui 230029, China
| | - Zheng Dang
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, 42 Hezuohua South Road, Hefei, Anhui 230029, China
| | - Pinggen Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, 443 Huangshan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China
| | - Zhen Zheng
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Liang Chen
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, 42 Hezuohua South Road, Hefei, Anhui 230029, China
| | - Wen Kuang
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Chenchen Wang
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Gaolin Liang
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Sciences and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, 2 Sipailou Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210096, China
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26
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Luo J, Yang J, Li G, Yang S, Zhou Y, Li JB, Huang G, Hu Y, Zou S, Zeng Q, Yang R. Noncovalently Caged Firefly Luciferins Enable Amplifiable Bioluminescence Sensing of Hyaluronidase-1 Activity in Vivo. ACS Sens 2020; 5:1726-1733. [PMID: 32441104 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.0c00393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Hyaluronidase 1 (Hyal-1) is an important enzyme involved in intracellular hyaluronic acid (HA) catabolism for performing various physiological functions, and its aberrant level is closely associated with many malignant diseases. Bioluminescence imaging is advantageous for monitoring Hyal-1 activity in vivo, but it remains challenging to design an available probe for differentiating Hyal-1 from other isoforms by a traditional strategy that covalently masks the firefly luciferase substrate. Herein, we, for the first time, present a noncovalently caging approach to construct a Hyal-1-specific bioluminogenic nanosensor by entrapping d-luciferin (d-Luc) inside the cholesterylamine-modified HA (CHA) nanoassembly to inhibit the bioluminescence production. When encountered with intracellular Hyal-1, CHA could be fully dissembled to liberate multiple copies of the loaded d-Luc, thereby emitting light by the luciferase-catalyzed bioluminescence reaction. Because of its cascade signal amplification feature, d-Luc@CHA displayed a remarkable "turn-on" response (248-fold) to 5 μg/mL Hyal-1 with a detection limit of 0.07 ng/mL. Importantly, bioluminescence imaging results validated that d-Luc@CHA could be competent for dynamically visualizing endogenous Hyal-1 changes in living cells and animals and possessed the capability of discriminating between normal and cancer cells, thus offering a promising toolbox to evaluate Hyal-1 roles in biological processes as well as to diagnose Hyal-1-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinqiu Luo
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cytochemistry, School of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, P. R. China
| | - Jinfeng Yang
- Hunan Cancer Hospital/the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410083, P. R. China
| | - Guangjie Li
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cytochemistry, School of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, P. R. China
| | - Sheng Yang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cytochemistry, School of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, P. R. China
| | - Yibo Zhou
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cytochemistry, School of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, P. R. China
| | - Jun-Bin Li
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cytochemistry, School of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, P. R. China
| | - Ge Huang
- Hunan Cancer Hospital/the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410083, P. R. China
| | - Yibo Hu
- Department of Dermatology, Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410013, P. R. China
| | - Shuangfa Zou
- Hunan Cancer Hospital/the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410083, P. R. China
| | - Qinghai Zeng
- Department of Dermatology, Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410013, P. R. China
| | - Ronghua Yang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cytochemistry, School of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, P. R. China
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27
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Li M, Li Q, Hou W, Zhang J, Ye H, Li H, Zeng D, Bai J. A redox-sensitive core-crosslinked nanosystem combined with ultrasound for enhanced deep penetration of nanodiamonds into tumors. RSC Adv 2020; 10:15252-15263. [PMID: 35495450 PMCID: PMC9052314 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra01776k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Nanodiamonds (NDs) as drug delivery vehicles are of great significance in anticancer therapy through enhancing drug retention. However, the major barrier to clinical application of NDs is insufficient tumor penetration owing to their strong aggregation and low passive penetration efficiency. Herein, the core-crosslinked pullulan carrier, assembled using the visible light-induced diselenide (Se-Se) bond crosslinking method for encapsulating nanodiamonds-doxorubicin (NDX), is proposed to improve monodispersity. Furthermore, the core-crosslinked diselenide bond provides the nanosystem with redox-responsive capability and improved structural stability in a physiological environment, which prevents premature drug leakage and achieves tumor site-specific controlled release. What's more, ultrasound (US) is utilized to promote nanosystem intratumoral penetration via enlarged tumor vascular endothelium cell gaps. As expected, the nanosystem combined with ultrasound can enhance anti-tumor efficacy with deep penetration and excellent retention performance in a HepG2 xenograft mouse model. This study highlights the ability of the integrated therapeutic paradigm to overcome the limitation of nanodiamonds and the potential for further application in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meixuan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University Chongqing 400016 China
| | - Qianyan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University Chongqing 400016 China
| | - Wei Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University Chongqing 400016 China
| | - Jingni Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University Chongqing 400016 China
| | - Hemin Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University Chongqing 400016 China
| | - Huanan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University Chongqing 400016 China
| | - Deping Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University Chongqing 400016 China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University Chongqing 400016 China
| | - Jin Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University Chongqing 400016 China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University Chongqing 400016 China
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28
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Wang H, Chen P, Wu H, Zou P, Wu J, Liu Y, Liang G. Furin-Guided Intracellular 68Ga Nanoparticle Formation Enhancing Tumor MicroPET Imaging. Anal Chem 2019; 91:14842-14845. [PMID: 31718142 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b04788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Positron-emission tomography (PET) is routinely used in the clinic for tumor imaging with ultrahigh sensitivity, but tumor-targeted PET imaging probes are quite few. In this work, we rationally designed a furin-responsive radiotracer Acetyl-Arg-Val-Arg-Arg-Cys(StBu)-Lys(DOTA-68Ga)-CBT (CBT-68Ga) and demonstrated that coinjection of the radiotracer with its cold analogue CBT-Ga instructed the formation of 68Ga nanoparticles in furin-overexpressing MDA-MB-468 cancer cells, which significantly enhanced microPET imaging of the tumor in vivo. In vitro results showed that CBT-Ga subjected to furin-initiated CBT-Cys condensation reaction and self-assembly to form the nanoparticles CBT-Ga-NPs with an average diameter of 258.3 nm. In vivo microPET imaging results indicate that the mice coinjected with CBT-68Ga and CBT-Ga, which warrants 68Ga nanoparticle formation in their MDA-MB-468 tumors, had a tumor/liver ratio 9.1-fold of that of the mice only injected with CBT-68Ga. We envisioned that, by replacing the RVRR substrate of CBT-68Ga with other enzyme-specific ones and using the strategy of intracellular nanoparticle formation, a series of radioactive probes could be developed for more sensitive and precise tumor microPET imaging in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyong Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine , Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine , 20 Qianrong Road , Wuxi , Jiangsu 214063 , China
| | - Peiyao Chen
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry , University of Science and Technology of China , 96 Jinzhai Road , Hefei , Anhui 230026 , China
| | - Hao Wu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine , Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine , 20 Qianrong Road , Wuxi , Jiangsu 214063 , China
| | - Pei Zou
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine , Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine , 20 Qianrong Road , Wuxi , Jiangsu 214063 , China
| | - Jun Wu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine , Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine , 20 Qianrong Road , Wuxi , Jiangsu 214063 , China
| | - Yaling Liu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine , Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine , 20 Qianrong Road , Wuxi , Jiangsu 214063 , China
| | - Gaolin Liang
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry , University of Science and Technology of China , 96 Jinzhai Road , Hefei , Anhui 230026 , China.,State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Sciences and Medical Engineering , Southeast University , 2 Sipailou , Nanjing , Jiangsu 210096 , China
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29
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Chen P, Kuang W, Zheng Z, Yang S, Liu Y, Su L, Zhao K, Liang G. Carboxylesterase-Cleavable Biotinylated Nanoparticle for Tumor-Dual Targeted Imaging. Theranostics 2019; 9:7359-7369. [PMID: 31695773 PMCID: PMC6831296 DOI: 10.7150/thno.37625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Near-infrared (NIR) nanoprobes with fluorescence "Turn-On" property are advantageous in cancer diagnosis but, to the best of our knowledge, "smart" nanoprobe that simultaneously targets both biotin receptor and carboxylesterase (CES) for HepG2 tumor-dual targeted imaging has not been reported. Methods: Using CBT-Cys click condensation reaction, we rationally designed a "smart" NIR fluorescence probe H2N-Cys(StBu)-Lys(Biotin)-Ser(Cy5.5)-CBT (NIR-CBT) and used it to facilely prepare the fluorescence-quenched nanoparticle NIR-CBT-NP. Results: In vitro results indicated that, after NIR-CBT-NP was incubated with CES for 6 h, its fluorescence was turned "On" by 69 folds. Cell experiments verified that NIR-CBT-NP was uptaken by HepG2 cells via biotin receptor-assisted endocytosis and its fluorescence was turned "On" by intracellular CES hydrolysis. Moreover, NIR-CBT-NP was successfully applied to image both biotin receptor- and CES-overexpressing HepG2 tumors. Conclusion: Fluorescence-quenched nanoparticle NIR-CBT-NP was facilely prepared to actively target biotin receptor-overexpressing HepG2 cancer cells and turn the fluorescence "On" by intracellular CES hydrolysis for tumor-dual targeted imaging. We anticipate that our fluorescence "Turn-On" nanoparticle could be applied for liver cancer diagnosis in clinic in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyao Chen
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Wen Kuang
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Zhen Zheng
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Shuye Yang
- Department of PET Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China
| | - Yaling Liu
- Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, 20 Qianrong Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214063, China
| | - Lanhong Su
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, 443 Huangshan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China
| | - Kui Zhao
- Department of PET Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China
| | - Gaolin Liang
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
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30
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Yan Y, Shi P, Song W, Bi S. Chemiluminescence and Bioluminescence Imaging for Biosensing and Therapy: In Vitro and In Vivo Perspectives. Theranostics 2019; 9:4047-4065. [PMID: 31281531 PMCID: PMC6592176 DOI: 10.7150/thno.33228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
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.
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31
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Deng Y, Xu A, Yu Y, Fu C, Liang G. Biomedical Applications of Fluorescent and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Dual‐Modality Probes. Chembiochem 2018; 20:499-510. [DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yun Deng
- Institute for Interdisciplinary & Research Key Laboratory of, Optoelectronic Chemical Materials and Devices of Ministry of EducationJianghan University Wuhan 430056 P.R. China
| | - Aifei Xu
- School of Tobacco Science and EngineeringZhengzhou University of Light Industry Zhengzhou 450002 P.R. China
| | - Yanhua Yu
- Institute for Interdisciplinary & Research Key Laboratory of, Optoelectronic Chemical Materials and Devices of Ministry of EducationJianghan University Wuhan 430056 P.R. China
| | - Cheng Fu
- Institute for Interdisciplinary & Research Key Laboratory of, Optoelectronic Chemical Materials and Devices of Ministry of EducationJianghan University Wuhan 430056 P.R. China
| | - Gaolin Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter ChemistryDepartment of ChemistryUniversity of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230026 P.R. China
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32
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33
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Cong Y, Qiao ZY, Wang H. Molecular Self-Assembly Constructed in Physiological Conditions for Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy. ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/adtp.201800067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yong Cong
- CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience; CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety; National Center for Nanoscience and Technology; No. 11 Beiyitiao, Zhongguancun Beijing 100190 China
| | - Zeng-Ying Qiao
- CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience; CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety; National Center for Nanoscience and Technology; No. 11 Beiyitiao, Zhongguancun Beijing 100190 China
| | - Hao Wang
- CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience; CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety; National Center for Nanoscience and Technology; No. 11 Beiyitiao, Zhongguancun Beijing 100190 China
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34
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Feng Z, Wang H, Wang S, Zhang Q, Zhang X, Rodal A, Xu B. Enzymatic Assemblies Disrupt the Membrane and Target Endoplasmic Reticulum for Selective Cancer Cell Death. J Am Chem Soc 2018; 140:9566-9573. [PMID: 29995402 PMCID: PMC6070399 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b04641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is responsible for the synthesis and folding of a large number of proteins, as well as intracellular calcium regulation, lipid synthesis, and lipid transfer to other organelles, and is emerging as a target for cancer therapy. However, strategies for selectively targeting the ER of cancer cells are limited. Here we show that enzymatically generated crescent-shaped supramolecular assemblies of short peptides disrupt cell membranes and target ER for selective cancer cell death. As revealed by sedimentation assay, the assemblies interact with synthetic lipid membranes. Live cell imaging confirms that the assemblies impair membrane integrity, which is further supported by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. According to transmission electron microscopy (TEM), static light scattering (SLS), and critical micelle concentration (CMC), attaching an l-amino acid at the C-terminal of a d-tripeptide results in the crescent-shaped supramolecular assemblies. Structure-activity relationship suggests that the crescent-shaped morphology is critical for interacting with membranes and for controlling cell fate. Moreover, fluorescent imaging indicates that the assemblies accumulate on the ER. Time-dependent Western blot and ELISA indicate that the accumulation causes ER stress and subsequently activates the caspase signaling cascade for cell death. As an approach for in situ generating membrane binding scaffolds (i.e., the crescent-shaped supramolecular assemblies), this work promises a new way to disrupt the membrane and to target the ER for developing anticancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoqianqi Feng
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, United States
| | - Huaimin Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, United States
| | - Shiyu Wang
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, United States
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Physical Science and Engineering Division (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955–6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Xixiang Zhang
- Physical Science and Engineering Division (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955–6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Avital Rodal
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, United States
| | - Bing Xu
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, United States
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35
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An R, Gu Z, Sun H, Hu Y, Yan R, Ye D, Liu H. Self-assembly of Fluorescent Dehydroberberine Enhances Mitochondria-Dependent Antitumor Efficacy. Chemistry 2018; 24:9812-9819. [PMID: 29766578 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201801112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 04/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Selective imaging and inducing mitochondrial dysfunction in tumor cells using mitochondria-targeting probes has become as a promising approach for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Here, we report the design of a fluorescent berberine analog, dehydroberberine (DH-BBR), as a new mitochondria-targeting probe capable of self-assembling into monodisperse organic nanoparticles (DTNPs) upon integration with a lipophilic counter anion, allowing for enhanced fluorescence imaging and treatment of tumors in living mice. X-ray crystallography revealed that the self-assembly process was attributed to a synergy of different molecular interactions, including π-π stacking, O⋅⋅⋅π interaction and electrostatic interaction between DH-BBR and counter anions. We demonstrated that DTNPs could efficiently enter tumor tissue following intravenous injection and enhance mitochondrial delivery of DH-BBR via an electrostatic interaction driven anion exchange process. Selective accumulation in the mitochondria capable of emitting strong fluorescence and causing mitochondrial dysfunction was achieved, enabling efficient inhibition of tumor growth in living mice. This study demonstrates promise for applying lipophilic anions to control molecular self-assembly and tune antitumor activity of mitochondria-targeting probes, which can facilitate to improve cancer treatment in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruibing An
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Zhanni Gu
- State key Laboratory of Drug Research and Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Haifeng Sun
- State key Laboratory of Drug Research and Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Yuxuan Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Runqi Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Deju Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Hong Liu
- State key Laboratory of Drug Research and Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
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36
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijuan Hai
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale; Department of Chemistry; University of Science and Technology of China; 96 Jinzhai Road Hefei Anhui 230026 China
| | - Gaolin Liang
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at Microscale; Department of Chemistry; University of Science and Technology of China; 96 Jinzhai Road Hefei Anhui 230026 China
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37
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Li J, Bullara D, Du X, He H, Sofou S, Kevrekidis IG, Epstein IR, Xu B. Kinetic Analysis of Nanostructures Formed by Enzyme-Instructed Intracellular Assemblies against Cancer Cells. ACS NANO 2018; 12. [PMID: 29537820 PMCID: PMC5916050 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b01016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated that enzyme-instructed self-assembly (EISA) in extra- or intracellular environments can serve as a multistep process for controlling cell fate. There is little knowledge, however, about the kinetics of EISA in the complex environments in or around cells. Here, we design and synthesize three dipeptidic precursors (ld-1-SO3, dl-1-SO3, dd-1-SO3), consisting of diphenylalanine (l-Phe-d-Phe, d-Phe-l-Phe, d-Phe-d-Phe, respectively) as the backbone, which are capped by 2-(naphthalen-2-yl)acetic acid at the N-terminal and by 2-(4-(2-aminoethoxy)-4-oxobutanamido)ethane-1-sulfonic acid at the C-terminal. On hydrolysis by carboxylesterases (CES), these precursors result in hydrogelators, which self-assemble in water at different rates. Whereas all three precursors selectively kill cancer cells, especially high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma cells, by undergoing intracellular EISA, dl-1-SO3 and dd-1-SO3 exhibit the lowest and the highest activities, respectively, against the cancer cells. This trend inversely correlates with the rates of converting the precursors to the hydrogelators in phosphate-buffered saline. Because CES exists both extra- and intracellularly, we use kinetic modeling to analyze the kinetics of EISA inside cells and to calculate the cytotoxicity of each precursor for killing cancer cells. Our results indicate that (i) the stereochemistry of the precursors affects the morphology of the nanostructures formed by the hydrogelators, as well as the rate of enzymatic conversion; (ii) decreased extracellular hydrolysis of precursors favors intracellular EISA inside the cells; (iii) the inherent features ( e.g., self-assembling ability and morphology) of the EISA molecules largely dictate the cytotoxicity of intracellular EISA. As the kinetic analysis of intracellular EISA, this work elucidates how the stereochemistry modulates EISA in the complex extra- and/or intracellular environment for developing anticancer molecular processes. Moreover, it provides insights for understanding the kinetics and cytotoxicity of aggregates of aberrant proteins or peptides formed inside and outside cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Li
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
| | - Domenico Bullara
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
| | - Xuewen Du
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
| | - Hongjian He
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
| | - Stavroula Sofou
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Ioannis G. Kevrekidis
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Irving R. Epstein
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
- Corresponding Authors: ,
| | - Bing Xu
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
- Corresponding Authors: ,
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Ma T, Hou Y, Zeng J, Liu C, Zhang P, Jing L, Shangguan D, Gao M. Dual-Ratiometric Target-Triggered Fluorescent Probe for Simultaneous Quantitative Visualization of Tumor Microenvironment Protease Activity and pH in Vivo. J Am Chem Soc 2017; 140:211-218. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b08900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tiancong Ma
- CAS
Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei Yi Jie 2, Zhong Guan Cun, Beijing 100190, China
- School
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yi Hou
- CAS
Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei Yi Jie 2, Zhong Guan Cun, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Jianfeng Zeng
- Center
for Molecular Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, School for Radiological
and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Soochow University, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Chunyan Liu
- CAS
Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei Yi Jie 2, Zhong Guan Cun, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Peisen Zhang
- CAS
Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei Yi Jie 2, Zhong Guan Cun, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Lihong Jing
- CAS
Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei Yi Jie 2, Zhong Guan Cun, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Dihua Shangguan
- CAS
Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei Yi Jie 2, Zhong Guan Cun, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Mingyuan Gao
- CAS
Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei Yi Jie 2, Zhong Guan Cun, Beijing 100190, China
- School
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Center
for Molecular Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, School for Radiological
and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Soochow University, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
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39
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Xie C, Zhen X, Lyu Y, Pu K. Nanoparticle Regrowth Enhances Photoacoustic Signals of Semiconducting Macromolecular Probe for In Vivo Imaging. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2017; 29:1703693. [PMID: 29024155 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201703693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Revised: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Smart molecular probes that emit deep-tissue penetrating photoacoustic (PA) signals responsive to the target of interest are imperative to understand disease pathology and develop innovative therapeutics. This study reports a self-assembly approach to develop semiconducting macromolecular activatable probe for in vivo imaging of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This probe comprises a near-infrared absorbing phthalocyanine core and four poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) arms linked by ROS-responsive self-immolative segments. Such an amphiphilic macromolecular structure allows it to undergo an ROS-specific cleavage process to release hydrophilic PEG and enhance the hydrophobicity of the nanosystem. Consequently, the residual phthalocyanine component self-assembles and regrows into large nanoparticles, leading to ROS-enhanced PA signals. The small size of the intact macromolecular probe is beneficial to penetrate into the tumor tissue of living mice, while the ROS-activated regrowth of nanoparticles prolongs the retention along with enhanced PA signals, permitting imaging of ROS during chemotherapy. This study thus capitalizes on stimuli-controlled self-assembly of macromolecules in conjunction with enhanced heat transfer in large nanoparticles for the development of smart molecular probes for PA imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Xie
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637457, Singapore
| | - Xu Zhen
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637457, Singapore
| | - Yan Lyu
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637457, Singapore
| | - Kanyi Pu
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637457, Singapore
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40
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Hai Z, Wu J, Wang L, Xu J, Zhang H, Liang G. Bioluminescence Sensing of γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase Activity In Vitro and In Vivo. Anal Chem 2017; 89:7017-7021. [PMID: 28605900 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b00567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) is an important tumor biomarker but using a bioluminescence (BL) probe to real time monitor its activity has not been reported. Herein, we rationally designed two GGT-cleavable BL probes Glu-AmLH2 (1) and Glu-p-aminobenzyloxycarbonyl-AmLH2 (2), and successfully applied them for sensing GGT activity with high sensitivity and excellent selectivity both in vitro and in vivo. The results indicated that, although 2 had lower background BL signal than 1, GGT had higher catalytic efficiency for 1 than 2, and 1 was superior to 2 for sensing GGT activity in living cells and tumors. We envision that our probe 1 could be widely applied for the diagnosis of important GGT-related diseases in animal models in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijuan Hai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Jingjing Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Lin Wang
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, Anhui 230027, China
| | - Jiacheng Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Huafeng Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, Anhui 230027, China
| | - Gaolin Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
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41
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Maccarrone M. Metabolism of the Endocannabinoid Anandamide: Open Questions after 25 Years. Front Mol Neurosci 2017; 10:166. [PMID: 28611591 PMCID: PMC5447297 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cannabis extracts have been used for centuries, but its main active principle ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was identified about 50 years ago. Yet, it is only 25 years ago that the first endogenous ligand of the same receptors engaged by the cannabis agents was discovered. This “endocannabinoid (eCB)” was identified as N-arachidonoylethanolamine (or anandamide (AEA)), and was shown to have several receptors, metabolic enzymes and transporters that altogether drive its biological activity. Here I report on the latest advances about AEA metabolism, with the aim of focusing open questions still awaiting an answer for a deeper understanding of AEA activity, and for translating AEA-based drugs into novel therapeutics for human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Maccarrone
- Department of Medicine, Campus Bio-Medico University of RomeRome, Italy.,European Center for Brain Research, IRCCS Santa Lucia FoundationRome, Italy
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42
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Chen P, Zheng Z, Zhu Y, Dong Y, Wang F, Liang G. Bioluminescent Turn-On Probe for Sensing Hypochlorite in Vitro and in Tumors. Anal Chem 2017; 89:5693-5696. [PMID: 28485134 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b01103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Hypochlorite (ClO-) is one of the most important reactive oxygen species but using a BL probe for its selective detection (or imaging) still remains challenging. Herein, we report a latent BL probe benzoylhydrazine luciferin (1) for highly selective detection of ClO- in vitro and imaging ClO- in living cells and tumors. In vitro tests indicated that 1 could be applied for highly selective detection of ClO- within the range of 0-62.5 μM with a limit of detection of 0.705 μM. Using these unique features of 1, we successfully applied it to image ClO- in living cells and tumors. We envision that probe 1 might be applied to elucidate the biological roles of ClO- in wider physiological and pathological processes in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyao Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Zhen Zheng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Yunxia Zhu
- Analysis Center, Nanjing Medical University , Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
| | - Yu Dong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Fuqiang Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.,Analysis Center, Nanjing Medical University , Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
| | - Gaolin Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
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43
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Zhai S, Hu X, Hu Y, Wu B, Xing D. Visible light-induced crosslinking and physiological stabilization of diselenide-rich nanoparticles for redox-responsive drug release and combination chemotherapy. Biomaterials 2017; 121:41-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2017.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2016] [Revised: 01/01/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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44
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Yuan M, Ma X, Jiang T, Gao Y, Cui Y, Zhang C, Yang X, Huang Y, Du L, Yampolsky I, Li M. Prolonged bioluminescence imaging in living cells and mice using novel pro-substrates forRenillaluciferase. Org Biomol Chem 2017; 15:10238-10244. [DOI: 10.1039/c7ob01656e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The prodrug or caged-luciferin strategy affords an excellent platform for persistent bioluminescence imaging.
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45
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Zheng Z, Li G, Wu C, Zhang M, Zhao Y, Liang G. Intracellular synthesis of d-aminoluciferin for bioluminescence generation. Chem Commun (Camb) 2017; 53:3567-3570. [DOI: 10.1039/c7cc00999b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Chemically stable precursors were employed to intracellularly synthesize d-aminoluciferin for bioluminescence generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Zheng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei
- China
| | - Gongyu Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei
- China
| | - Chengfan Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei
- China
| | - Miaomiao Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei
- China
| | - Yue Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei
- China
| | - Gaolin Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei
- China
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