Rechargeable Afterglow Nanotorches for In Vivo Tracing of Cell-Based Microrobots.

As one of the self-luminescence imaging approaches that require pre-illumination instead of real-time light excitation, afterglow luminescence imaging has attracted increasing enthusiasm to circumvent tissue autofluorescence. In this work, we developed organic afterglow luminescent nanoprobe (nanotorch), which could emit persistent luminescence more than 10 days upon single light excitation. More importantly, the nanotorch could be remote charged by 660 nm light in a non-invasive manner, which showed great potential for real-time tracing the location of macrophage cell-based microrobots.

Optical imaging probes for selective detection of butyrylcholinesterase.

Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), a member of the human serine hydrolase family, is an essential enzyme for cholinergic neurotransmission as it catalyzes the hydrolysis of acetylcholine. It also plays central roles in apoptosis, lipid metabolism, and xenobiotic detoxification. On the other side, abnormal levels of BChE are directly associated with the formation of pathogenic states such as neurodegenerative diseases, psychiatric and cardiovascular disorders, liver damage, diabetes, and cancer.

A mitochondria-targeted chemiluminescent probe for detection of hydrogen sulfide in cancer cells, human serum and .

Hydrogen sulfide (HS) as a critical messenger molecule plays vital roles in regular cell function. However, abnormal levels of HS, especially mitochondrial HS, are directly correlated with the formation of pathological states including neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer. Thus, monitoring fluxes of mitochondrial HS concentrations both and with high selectivity and sensitivity is crucial.

Hydrogen Sulfide Responsive Phototherapy Agents: Design Strategies and Biological Applications.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS) is one of the critical gasotransmitters, which play important roles in regular physiological processes, especially in vital signaling pathways. However, fluctuations in endogenous HS concentration can be linked to serious health problems, such as neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, diabetes, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension. Thus, it has attracted a great deal of attention in therapeutic applications, specifically in the field of phototherapy.

A hydrogen sulfide and tyrosinase responsive dual-locked fluorophore for selective imaging of melanoma cells.

A resorufin-based dual-locked fluorescent probe (RHT) was introduced to image melanoma cells selectively. RHT was shown to function as an AND molecular logic gate as it emitted a signal only in the presence of both hydrogen sulfide (HS) and tyrosinase (Tyr), which are known to be overexpressed in melanoma cells. cell culture studies revealed that RHT can be activated with endogenous HS and Tyr and allows selective imaging of B16-F10 cancer cells under confocal microscopy.

Real-time visualization of butyrylcholinesterase activity using a highly selective and sensitive chemiluminescent probe.

Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), one of the critical human cholinesterases, plays crucial roles in numerous physiological and pathological processes. Accordingly, it is a striking and at the same time challenging target for bioimaging studies. Herein, we developed the first ever example of a 1,2-dixoetane-based chemiluminescent probe (BCC) for monitoring BChE activity in native biological contexts such as living cells and animals.