吲哚七甲川类荧光探针在生物体应用的研究现状

菁染料是一种商品化的近红外荧光染料, 其光谱范围位于近红外区域, 此光谱区域内生物基体光吸收或荧光强度较小, 因此利用菁染料对生物体进行成像, 可以降低背景干扰. 吲哚七甲川菁染料是一类具有代表性的菁染料, 其由吲哚杂环、七甲川链和N-取代基侧链组成, 由于具有溶解性好, 最大吸收波长可调, 摩尔消光系数大等优良的光学性质, 被广泛用于肿瘤靶向治疗、蛋白标记、痕量金属离子检测等生物方面. 以吲哚七甲川为母体, 通过向母体中引入活性基团或改变它们的结构, 使探针具有不同的功能, 这已成为生物领域荧光成像的研究热点. 分别从检测金属阳离子、pH变化、小分子和靶向标记肿瘤细胞、蛋白质等方面综述了近年来用于生物体荧光成像的吲哚七甲川类荧光探针的研究进展, 其中也对荧光探针在生物体内(模型)分布、光学成像及代谢方面进行了介绍, 最后讨论了这类荧光探针存在的问题及发展趋势.     

叶酸受体介导的肿瘤靶向光学成像技术

叶酸受体(FR)在肿瘤细胞中都有过度表达,而在正常组织中保守表达,利用叶酸受体与叶酸及其类似物高亲合力结合的特性,将叶酸偶联荧光探针输送到肿瘤组织,从而实现肿瘤组织的特异性靶向光学成像。本文阐述了叶酸荧光探针的结构及其用于标记肿瘤细胞的作用机制,介绍了近十年来叶酸受体介导的肿瘤靶向光学成像技术,例如有机荧光染料,染料掺杂纳米颗粒,量子点,磁性纳米微粒以及多功能纳米粒子等在肿瘤靶向成像中的研究及应用进展,指出了当前研究中的主要发展方向和仍需解决的问题。     

基于Cy7类菁染料分子探针的设计策略

菁染料是一类经典的荧光染料母核, 具有摩尔消光系数大、 吸收波长可调、 溶解性良好及生物兼容性好等优点, 被广泛用于蛋白标记、 痕量金属离子检测、 生物活性物质检测、 细胞和活体成像及肿瘤靶向治疗等领域. 近年来, 生物医学领域对活体结构及功能成像深度提出更高的需求, 基于优异的长波长染料母核开发近红外荧光分子探针逐渐成为领域的研究重点. 吲哚七甲川菁染料(Cy7)是一类最具代表性的菁染料, 本文重点综合评述了自1992年以来基于Cy7结构开发的分子探针, 并介绍了该类荧光探针的设计策略. 最后, 讨论了该领域研究面临的挑战, 并对未来的发展方向进行了总结和展望.     

氟硼二吡咯探针在肿瘤检测中的应用

目前,肿瘤是世界上死亡率最高的疾病之一,早期肿瘤细胞的检测对于肿瘤的预防和治疗具有重要意义。当前针对肿瘤细胞的检测手段主要有X光、计算机断层扫描(CT)、磁共振成像(MRI)等,但借助这些手段检测出来的肿瘤细胞通常已生长到中后期,极不利于肿瘤的治疗。荧光成像作为生命科学研究领域常用的手段之一,近年来被用于肿瘤细胞检测,与其他检测方法相比,具有微创、高效、低成本和更加灵敏等优势。氟硼二吡咯(BODIPY)荧光染料作为荧光成像的工具之一,因具有荧光量子产率高、稳定性好、易于修饰等独特优势,被广泛应用于肿瘤细胞检测领域。与常规检测手段相比,BODIPY探针可以靶向肿瘤细胞内细胞器或肿瘤标志物,达到检测早期肿瘤细胞的目的。本文综述了靶向不同标记分子的BODIPY探针的应用,并分析了BODIPY探针的作用机理,以期为肿瘤的临床检测提供更加方便、快捷、直观、灵敏的工具。     

荧光染料探针分子对变异细胞的识别

介绍了变异细胞的结构特征、细胞识别与荧光标记技术以及荧光染料探针分子标记细胞的方式。简述了荧光染料探针分子用于变异细胞组织的标记与识别的研究新进展。并针对目前荧光染料探针分子的应用现状,分析了未来的发展趋势,包括增强荧光染料探针分子与人体组织的相容性、靶向性,提高其灵敏度,降低毒性等的方法和途径。简述了固相合成分离技术用于探针分子的制备与纯化的优越性。     

用于肿瘤成像的半乳糖/酞菁近红外荧光探针

本文首次报道半乳糖酞菁近红外荧光探针在肿瘤成像方面的应用。以酞菁为荧光发射基团,其在近红外区域有较高的量子产量和光学稳定性,可以解决探针的近红外光学特性;通过半乳糖对酞菁的修饰能够改善探针的溶解性和生物相容性,而且利用半乳糖的肿瘤靶向功能可以提高探针肿瘤主动靶向成像效果。结果表明它对恶性肿瘤具有高特异性结合和高灵敏度的分子探针体系,提高近红外光学分子成像效果。     

点击功能化的叶酸受体靶向荧光纳米探针用于肿瘤细胞成像

采用点击化学偶联法对荧光二氧化硅纳米粒子表面进行叶酸功能化修饰,构建了一种叶酸受体靶向的荧光纳米探针,并成功用于肿瘤细胞的成像研究.首先通过St?ber法制备包裹钌联吡啶的荧光二氧化硅纳米粒子(RSiNPs),然后利用叠氮化硅烷偶联剂(Az-PTES)的水解反应在其表面引入叠氮基团,最后通过点击化学反应将炔丙基叶酸衍生物偶联到粒子表面.利用红外光谱对其偶联前后的叠氮基特征峰(2105 cm-1)进行表征,证实了叶酸功能化的荧光纳米探针(RSiNPs-Folate)已被成功制备.在生理pH条件下,以458 nm为激发波长,RSiNPs-Folate在601 nm处发射较强的红色荧光,且光稳定性较好.细胞成像结果表明,这种叶酸受体靶向的荧光纳米探针能够有效地标记叶酸受体呈阳性的人宫颈癌细胞(HeLa),而叶酸受体呈阴性的人肺癌细胞(A549)未观察到明显的荧光.叶酸竞争性结合实验证明了这种叶酸受体介导的肿瘤细胞成像机制.此探针能够实现混合细胞体系中HeLa细胞的选择性识别与荧光成像.与酰胺化反应偶联叶酸相比,这种点击功能化的纳米探针的合成方法简单、反应条件温和、产率高,可用于不同肿瘤细胞的荧光标记与成像.     

金纳米笼探针用于线粒体成像和光热损伤细胞

线粒体是许多细胞行为的关键调节细胞器,线粒体膜电位降低被认为是细胞凋亡所发生的最早事件之一,因此线粒体成像及其膜电位的检测分析,对疾病的检测与治疗有重要的科学意义.采用金纳米笼(Aunanocages,Au NCs)介导的光热损伤与温度敏感的药物释放相结合,开发了一种线粒体靶向的荧光纳米探针AuNCs/PLEL/JC/KLA.引入一种线粒体靶向肽(KLAKLAKKLAKLAK,KLA),作为纳米探针的“指向标”,指引着探针特异地靶向到细胞线粒体部位,随后在近红外光的照射下, AuNCs吸收光能转化为热量,实现光热介导的细胞损伤.同时,高温促使外层温敏水凝胶发生凝胶-溶胶转变,实现荧光染料(JC-10)的释放.所释放的JC-10荧光染料可根据线粒体的活力表现出两种荧光信号,用于监测线粒体膜电位的变化.总之,该荧光纳米探针不仅实现了线粒体靶向的荧光成像与损伤细胞,同时还可以监测线粒体膜电位的变化.     

可固定性荧光探针:线粒体成像的可靠工具

线粒体是一种具有双层膜结构的细胞器,参与细胞新陈代谢过程的能量循环以及离子平衡过程,在细胞生理过程中具有极其重要的意义。一些小分子荧光染料/探针结构中带有正电荷,因受到线粒体内膜负电势的牵引而标记在线粒体上,为研究线粒体的形态或功能提供了重要的可视化成像工具。然而,大多数线粒体染料/探针对线粒体的靶向标记稳定性仍不够理想,因为线粒体电势处于不断的动态变化中,当电势降低时,对染料的亲和力相应降低。尤其在病理条件下(比如细胞凋亡)细胞代谢受到阻滞时,线粒体膜电势显著降低,阳离子染料将扩散离开线粒体,造成非特异性荧光。最近,Kim团队和本人课题组提出可固定线粒体探针的新概念,用活性基团将荧光分子探针通过共价键固定在线粒体中,开发了稳定靶向线粒体中的定量探测微环境p H值、粘度、膜电势荧光探针。我们认为,对于追踪和探测具有高度动态变化特性的线粒体而言,开发可固定的线粒体荧光分子探针是必然趋势,因此本文进行评述和展望。     

肝靶向荧光探针用于HepG2细胞中ONOO-的特异性检测

过氧亚硝酸根(ONOO^-)作为重要的生物活性分子,在细胞信号转导和稳态调节等过程中发挥着重要的作用。实现生物体ONOO^-的精准靶向检测,对于深入探索其生理病理机制至关重要。本文以1,8-萘二甲酰亚胺作为荧光发色团、熊去氧胆酸作为肝靶向单元,制备荧光探针N-丙基-4-(4-3α,7β-二羟基-5β-胆甾烷-24-酰肼基)-1,8-萘二甲酰胺(NA),用于人肝癌细胞(HepG2)中ONOO^-的特异性检测。该探针与ONOO^-响应后,其绿色荧光显著增强,且荧光强度与ONOO^-浓度在0～14.0μmol/L范围内呈现较好的线性关系,检测限为0.27μmol/L。该探针具有选择性强、受pH环境影响小和生物相容性好等优点。细胞荧光成像结果表明,该探针对肝癌细胞HepG2具有较好的靶向性,可以对HepG2细胞中外源性和内源性ONOO^-浓度进行特异性检测。     

Functional Near‐Infrared Fluorescent Probes

Near‐infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes have attracted much attention, but despite the availability of various NIR fluorophores, only a few functional NIR probes, that is, probes whose absorption and/or fluorescence spectra change upon specific reaction with biomolecules, have been developed. However, functional probes operating in the NIR range that can be targeted to protons, metal ions, nitric oxide, β‐galactosidase, and cellular stress markers are expected to be effective for fluorescence imaging in vivo. This Focus Review concentrates on these functional NIR probes themselves, not their applications.     

Strategies for Tumor Hypoxia Imaging Based on Aggregation-Induced Emission Fluorogens

Hypoxia, as a crucial characteristic of cancer, has become an extremely significant direction for researchers to construct fluorescent probes for early diagnosis of tumors. Aggregation-induced emission fluorogens (AIEgens) possess many superior properties to those of conventional fluorophores due to aggregation-induced emission (AIE) features, such as a linear concentration-dependent increase in brightness, remarkable resistance to photobleaching, and the long-term tracking and imaging of cells. Constructing hypoxic response AIEgen-based probes will be very useful for the early diagnosis of tumors. Herein, several hypoxia-responsive probes based on AIEgens reported in the last three years are reported; these examples may lead to the construction of hypoxia-responsive AIE probes used for tumor hypoxia imaging in the future. In addition, typical, conventional hypoxia-responsive bioprobes are presented to further understand hypoxia-responsive fluorescent probes based on AIEgens.     

An Unsymmetrical Squaraine-Based Activatable Probe for Imaging Lymphatic Metastasis by Responding to Tumor Hypoxia with MSOT and Aggregation-Enhanced Fluorescent Imaging

Optoacoustic imaging has great potential for preclinical research and clinical practice, and designing robust activatable optoacoustic probes for specific diseases is beneficial for its further development. Herein, an activatable probe has been developed for tumor hypoxia imaging. For this probe, indole and quinoline were linked on each side of an oxocyclobutenolate core to form an unsymmetrical squaraine. A triarylamine group was incorporated to endow the molecule with the aggregation enhanced emission (AEE) properties. In aqueous media, the squaraine chromophore aggregates into the nanoprobe, which specifically responds to nitroreductase and produces strong optoacoustic signals due to its high extinction coefficient, as well as prominent fluorescence emission as a result of its AEE feature. The nanoprobe was used to image tumor metastasis via the lymphatic system both optoacoustically and fluorescently. Moreover, both the fluorescence signals and three-dimensional multispectral optoacoustic tomography signals from the activated nanoprobe allow us to locate the tumor site and to map the metastatic route.     

双光子荧光探针研究及其应用

双光子荧光显微成像兼具诸如近红外激发、暗场成像、避免荧光漂白和光致毒、定靶激发、高横向分辨率与纵向分辨率、降低生物组织吸光系数及降低组织自发荧光干扰等特点而显著地优于单光子荧光显微成像,为生命科学研究提供了更为锐利的工具。而用于像离子的含量及其对生理的影响、离子参与的生理活动机制、离子与分子的作用、特定分子的分布及其相互作用等方面研究的双光子荧光探针,是实现成像的关键。双光子荧光探针的研究旨在促进双光子荧光显微镜应用的发展,促进生命科学、医学科学的快速发展,同时也带动双光子荧光探针所隶属的化学这一学科的发展。因此对双光子荧光探针的研究具有重要的理论和实践意义。该文综述了双光子荧光显微成像的优点、双光子荧光探针设计的原理及双光子荧光探针在离子分析方面的应用,并展望了这类荧光探针的发展趋势与应用前景。     

激活型有机光声造影剂的应用

光声(PA)成像作为一种结合了光学和声学成像优势的新型成像方式,具有深层组织穿透和高空间分辨率等优点,在重大疾病的早期影像诊断方面有着巨大的应用前景.然而传统的PA造影剂依然存在信噪比低、选择性及特异性差等不足,容易产生假阳性诊断结果.激活型PA造影剂可以有效的降低背景噪声,并提升成像的灵敏度和特异性,是目前PA造影剂...     

An Activatable Polymeric Reporter for Near-Infrared Fluorescent and Photoacoustic Imaging of Invasive Cancer

Discriminative detection of invasive and noninvasive breast cancers is crucial for their effective treatment and prognosis. However, activatable probes able to do so in vivo are rare. Herein, we report an activatable polymeric reporter (P-Dex) that specifically turns on near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent and photoacoustic (PA) signals in response to the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) overexpressed in invasive breast cancer. P-Dex has a renal-clearable dextran backbone that is linked with a NIR dye caged with an uPA-cleavable peptide substrate. Such a molecular design allows P-Dex to passively target tumors, activate NIR fluorescence and PA signals to effectively distinguish invasive MDA-MB-231 breast cancer from noninvasive MCF-7 breast cancer, and ultimately undergo renal clearance to minimize the toxicity potential. Thus, this polymeric reporter holds great promise for the early detection of malignant breast cancer.     

Long‐Wavelength Fluorescent Reporters for Monitoring Protein Kinase Activity

In vivo optical imaging must contend with the limitations imposed by the optical window of tissue (600–1000 nm). Although a wide array of fluorophores are available that are visualized in the red and near‐IR region of the spectrum, with the exception of proteases, there are few long wavelength probes for enzymes. This situation poses a particular challenge for studying the intracellular biochemistry of erythrocytes, the high hemoglobin content of which optically obscures subcellular monitoring at wavelengths less than 600 nm. To address this, tunable fluorescent reporters for protein kinase activity were developed. The probing wavelength is preprogrammed by using readily available fluorophores, thereby enabling detection within the optical window of tissue, specifically in the far‐red and near‐IR region. These agents were used to monitor endogenous cAMP‐dependent protein kinase activity in erythrocyte lysates and in intact erythrocytes when using a light‐activatable reporter.     

Activatable Molecular Probes for Second Near-Infrared Fluorescence,Chemiluminescence, and Photoacoustic Imaging

Optical imaging plays a crucial role in biomedicine. However, due to strong light scattering and autofluorescence in biological tissue between 650–900 nm, conventional optical imaging often has a poor signal-to-background ratio and shallow penetration depth, which limits its ability in deep-tissue in vivo imaging. Second near-infrared fluorescence, chemiluminescence, and photoacoustic imaging modalities mitigate these issues by their respective advantages of minimized light scattering, eliminated external excitation, and ultrasound detection. To enable disease detection, activatable molecular probes (AMPs) with the ability to change their second near-infrared fluorescence, chemiluminescence, or photoacoustic signals in response to a biomarker have been developed. This Minireview summarizes the molecular design strategies, sensing mechanisms, and imaging applications of AMPs. The potential challenges and perspectives of AMPs in deep-tissue imaging are also discussed.     

Activatable Molecular Probes for Second Near‐Infrared Fluorescence,Chemiluminescence, and Photoacoustic Imaging

Optical imaging plays a crucial role in biomedicine. However, due to strong light scattering and autofluorescence in biological tissue between 650–900 nm, conventional optical imaging often has a poor signal‐to‐background ratio and shallow penetration depth, which limits its ability in deep‐tissue in vivo imaging. Second near‐infrared fluorescence, chemiluminescence, and photoacoustic imaging modalities mitigate these issues by their respective advantages of minimized light scattering, eliminated external excitation, and ultrasound detection. To enable disease detection, activatable molecular probes (AMPs) with the ability to change their second near‐infrared fluorescence, chemiluminescence, or photoacoustic signals in response to a biomarker have been developed. This Minireview summarizes the molecular design strategies, sensing mechanisms, and imaging applications of AMPs. The potential challenges and perspectives of AMPs in deep‐tissue imaging are also discussed.     

An Activatable Polymeric Reporter for Near‐Infrared Fluorescent and Photoacoustic Imaging of Invasive Cancer

Discriminative detection of invasive and noninvasive breast cancers is crucial for their effective treatment and prognosis. However, activatable probes able to do so in vivo are rare. Herein, we report an activatable polymeric reporter (P‐Dex) that specifically turns on near‐infrared (NIR) fluorescent and photoacoustic (PA) signals in response to the urokinase‐type plasminogen activator (uPA) overexpressed in invasive breast cancer. P‐Dex has a renal‐clearable dextran backbone that is linked with a NIR dye caged with an uPA‐cleavable peptide substrate. Such a molecular design allows P‐Dex to passively target tumors, activate NIR fluorescence and PA signals to effectively distinguish invasive MDA‐MB‐231 breast cancer from noninvasive MCF‐7 breast cancer, and ultimately undergo renal clearance to minimize the toxicity potential. Thus, this polymeric reporter holds great promise for the early detection of malignant breast cancer.