A visible and near-infrared dual-fluorescent probe for discrimination between Cys/Hcy and GSH and its application in bioimaging.

Biothiols such as cysteine (Cys), homocysteine (Hcy) and glutathione (GSH) play important roles in various physiological and pathological processes, and due to their similar structures and reaction activities, it is still challenging to simultaneously discriminate between GSH and Cys/Hcy in vivo. Hence, a novel fluorescent probe for simultaneously discriminating GSH and Cys/Hcy in biological samples is highly desirable. Herein, we presented two enhanced fluorescent probes (Cy1 and Cy2) with doubly-activated dual emission for sensitive and discriminative detection of Cys/Hcy and GSH.

Design and synthesis of NQO1 responsive fluorescence probe and its application in bio-imaging for cancer diagnosis.

As an over-expressed flavoprotein in several kinds of tumor cells, NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1) is considered as a potent biomarker in early-stage cancer diagnosis. Developing a fast, selective and sensitive method of monitoring NQO1 on cellular level will greatly promote cancer diagnosis in clinical practice. In this paper, a fast NQO1 responsive fluorescence probe SYZ-30 containing quinone acid and 7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD) fluorophore is constructed.

Correction: A tumor-targeting probe based on a mitophagy process for live imaging.

Correction for 'A tumor-targeting probe based on a mitophagy process for live imaging' by Lijuan Gui et al., Chem. Commun.

GSH-Activated Light-Up Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe with High Affinity to αβ Integrin for Precise Early Tumor Identification.

The development of tumor-associated, stimuli-driven, turn-on near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores requires urgent attention because of their potential in selective and precise tumor diagnosis. Herein, we describe a NIR fluorescent probe (CyA-cRGD) comprised of a fluorescence reporting unit (a cyanine dye) linked with a GSH-responsive unit (nitroazo aryl ether group) and a tumor-targeting unit (cRGD). The NIR fluorescence of CyA-cRGD with sensitive and selective response to GSH can act as a direct off-on signal reporter for GSH monitoring.

Near-infrared off-on fluorescence probe activated by NTR for in vivo hypoxia imaging.

Selective and efficient detection and imaging of nitroreductase (NTR) overexpressed in hypoxic tissues is of great importance for better understanding its biological functions. The effective optical probes equipped for NTR detection in vivo is still lacking, so we developed an innovative near infrared (NIR) fluorescent on-off probe (Cy-NO) composed of fluorescence reporting unit (an aminocyaine dye) and recognition unit (p-nitrobenzylcarbamate group). The response and mechanism of the NTR activated reduction of Cy-NO were evaluated in vitro through kinetic optical studies, mass spectra analysis and docking calculations.

A tumor-targeting probe based on a mitophagy process for live imaging.

A glucosamine modified near-infrared cyanine dye CyT sensitive to pH was synthesized. Due to the different pH values of mitochondria and autolysosomes, the probe can simultaneously investigate mitochondria and autolysosomes in living cells. Moreover, due to the introduction of glucosamine groups, this fluorescent probe can be applied for tumor targeted imaging.

Near infrared dye loaded copper sulfide-apoferritin for tumor imaging and photothermal therapy.

Development of photothermal agents for imaging-guided photothermal therapy (PTT) has been of great interest in the field of nanomedicine. CuS-apoferritin was prepared by a biomimetic synthesis method by using the inside cavity of apoferritin to control the size of CuS nanoparticles. Then, a water-soluble near infrared (NIR) dye (MBA) was bound with CuS-apoferritin, forming a nanocomplex (CuS-apoferritin-MBA) with greatly enhanced photothermal conversion efficiency compared to CuS-apoferritin.