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γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase (γ-GGT), as a key enzyme, exhibits markedly higher expression levels in tumor cells compared to normal cells. Under normal conditions, γ-GGT activity on the cell membrane is relatively low, but it undergoes a significant upregulation in cancer cells, making it a potential cancer biomarker. Particularly in A549 cells, a prominent cancer cell line, the pronounced upregulation of γ-GGT expression emphasizes its potential as a unique recognition target and a robust marker for A549 cells. This study successfully synthesized a highly selective γ-GGT fluorescent probe, the exhibits commendable sensitivity (LOD = 0.0021U/mL) and selectivity, achieving efficient detection at the cellular level and providing accurate insights into differential expression between normal and cancer cells. The alterations in fluorescence lifetime observed before and after the probe's reaction with γ-GGT serve as a crucial foundation for fluorescence lifetime imaging on living cells. The probe has become a powerful tool for precise localization of tumor cells, particularly demonstrating its capability for specific recognition in A549 cells. Overall, this research highlights the potential of γ-GGT as a target for fluorescent probes, emphasizing its prospects in specific recognition, particularly in A549 cells, with profound implications for advancing early cancer diagnosis and treatment methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the collaboration between lipid droplets (LDs) and lysosomes, and the lipid change in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), herein two pH-triggered hydrophility-adjustable fluorescent probes (LD-Lyso and LD-Lyso 1) are designed. The mechanism is based on cyclization and ring-opening with thorough consideration of pH and hydrophilic differences between LDs and lysosomes. Both of the two probes exist in ring-opening form and emit red fluorescence in acidic environment, while they exist in cyclized form and the emission is blueshifted in alkaline environment due to reduced conjugate planes. Moreover, LD-Lyso exhibits near infrared fluorescence at 740 nm under ring-opening form, which facilitates further cell, tissue, and in vivo imaging. The cell imaging results show that LD-Lyso can simultaneously target LDs and lysosomes by two different colors. Impressively, LD-Lyso cannot only detect NAFLD tissues from the normal tissue, but also distinguish different degrees of NAFLD tissues and mice, which provides a very promising tool for timely diagnosis of early NAFLD. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipid droplets (LDs) are critical organelles involved in many physiological processes in eukaryotic cells. To visualize and study LDs, particular the small/nascent LDs, the emerging super-resolution fluorescence imaging techniques with nanoscale resolution would be much more powerful in comparison to the conventional confocal/wide-field imaging techniques. However, directly limited by the availability of advanced LDs probes, super-resolution fluorescence imaging of LDs is a practically challenging task. In this context, a superior LDs fluorescent probe named Lipi-Deep Red is newly developed for structured illumination microscopy (SIM) super-resolution imaging. This fluorescent probe features with the advantages of strong deep red/NIR emission, fluorogenic character, high LDs specificity, and outstanding photostability. These advantages enable the fluorescent probe to be finely applied in SIM super-resolution imaging, e.g. time-lapse imaging (up to 1000 frames) to monitor the LDs dynamics at nanoscale (159 nm), two-color time-lapse imaging to discover the nearby contact/interaction between LDs and mitochondria. Consequently, the fusion processes of LDs are impressively visualized at a high spatial and temporal resolution. Two kinds of contact models between LDs and mitochondria (dynamic contact and stable contact) newly proposed in the recent literatures are successfully revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), one of the reactive oxygen species (ROS), plays vital roles in diverse physiological processes. Imbalance of the H 2 O 2 is concerned with serious diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease and cancer. Therefore, it is critical to develop efficient methods for monitoring H 2 O 2 in vivo . In this work, a two-photon excitation (860 nm) NIR fluorescent turn-on probe TPNR-H 2 O 2 for H 2 O 2 based on Dicyanomethylene-4 H -pyran fluorophore is reported, which can be used in solution detection with 13.2-fold NIR fluorescence enhancement, fast response (completed within 40 min), excellent sensitivity (DL 72.48 nM), and lower cellular auto-fluorescence interference. Importantly, the perfect photostability of TPNR-H 2 O 2 clearly demonstrated that the probe could be applied to imaging intracellular H 2 O 2 for a long time without photobleaching. In addition, through two-photon imaging, this probe was cell permeable and used to monitor the level of endogenous and exogenous H 2 O 2 with promising biological application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel graphene quantum dot (GQD)@Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 based nanoprobe was reported for targeted drug delivery, sensing, dual-modal imaging and therapy. Carboxyl-terminated GQD (C-GQD) was firstly conjugated with Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 and then functionalized with cancer targeting molecule folic acid (FA). DOX drug molecules were then loaded on GQD surface of Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @GQD-FA nanoprobe via pi-pi stacking, which resulted in Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @GQD-FA/DOX conjugates based on a FRET mechanism with GQD as donor molecules and DOX as acceptor molecules. Meanwhile, we successfully performed in vitro MRI and fluorescence imaging of living Hela cells and monitored intracellular drug release process using this Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @GQD-FA/DOX nanoprobe. Cell viability study demonstrated the low cytotoxicity of Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @GQD-FA nanocarrier and the enhanced therapeutic efficacy of Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @GQD-FA/DOX nanoprobe for cancer cells. This luminomagnetic nanoprobe will be a potential platform for cancer accurate diagnosis and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Near-Infrared (NIR) ratiometric and on-off fluorescent probe 1 was synthesized, which exhibited high sensitivity and excellent selectivity in arginine (Arg) recognition. 1 can quantitatively detect Arg in concentration range from 0 to 150 μM with the LOD of 138 nM. Further, it displayed excellent selectivity and anti-interference over many biological species, metal ions and anions. Due to its ability to target lysosome, the response of Arg to this probe in a living cell was successfully tracked in a ratiometric manner via fluorescence imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fluorescent probe ( 1 ) for distinguishing amongst biothiols, including cysteine (Cys), homocysteine (Hcy) and glutathione (GSH), is developed based on different cascade reactions. The key design feature of fluorescent probe 1 is the integration of two potential reaction groups for the thiol and amino groups of biothiols in one molecule. By reacting with the halogen atom and α, β-unsaturated malonitrile in probe 1 , Cys, Hcy and GSH can generate a total of three main products with distinct photophysical properties. Probe 1 shows a strong fluorescence turn-on response to Cys with blue–green emission by using an excitation wavelength of 390 nm. At an excitation wavelength of 500 nm, probe 1 responds to GSH over Cys and Hcy and emits strong orange fluorescence. The discrimination of biothiols can be demonstrated by cell imaging experiments, indicating that probe 1 can be a useful tool for the selective imaging of Cys and GSH in living cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a highly specific ratiometric two-photon fluorescent probe GP-BAN was developed and well-characterized to monitor dipeptidyl peptidase IV in plasma and living systems. GP-BAN was designed on the basis of the catalytic properties and substrate preference of DPP-IV, and it could be readily hydrolyzed upon addition of DPP-IV under physiological conditions. Both reaction phenotyping and inhibition assays demonstrated that GP-BAN displayed good reactivity and high selectivity towards DPP-IV over other human serine hydrolases including FAP, DPP-VIII, and DPP-IX. The probe was successfully used to monitor the real activities of DPP-IV in complex biological systems including diluted plasma, while it could be used for high throughput screening of DPP-IV inhibitors by using human plasma or tissue preparations as enzyme sources. As a two-photon fluorescent probe, GP-BAN was also successfully used for two-photon imaging of endogenous DPP-IV in living cells and tissues, and showed high ratiometric imaging resolution and deep-tissue penetration ability. Taken together, a ratiometric two-photon fluorescent probe GP-BAN was developed and well-characterized for highly selective and sensitive detection of DPP-IV in complex biological systems, which could serve as a promising imaging tool to explore the biological functions and physiological roles of this key enzyme in living systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperchlorous acid (HClO), produced from MPO, is recognized as a host defense that kills pathogens; a signaling molecule that initiates cell apoptosis; and a harmful agent when overproduced. Thus, measuring of endogenous HClO and MPO will always find its great importance in revealing biological roles under complex biological conditions. In this study, a turn-on near infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe Cy7-NphS has been designed and developed for highly selective and sensitive sensing of HClO and Myeloperoxidase (MPO) with fast response time. The newly developed probe has been successfully applied in real-time monitoring of HClO and MPO activity in PBS solutions and living HL-60 cells. When applied in MPO activity determination, the probe showed very high sensitivity with a detection limit of as low as 3.69×10 −3 U/mL. Furthermore, the living cell imaging study suggested that this probe could detect HClO in mitochondria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple one-step hydrothermal green approach was reported for the preparation of carbon dots (CDs) without any further decoration or modification with papaya powder as natural carbon source. In this economical and eco-friendly system, deionized water or 90% ethanol was used as solvent to produce water-soluble or ethanol-soluble CDs, respectively, termed as W-CDs and E-CDs. The quantum yield (QY) for W-CDs was 18.98%, while that for E-CDs was 18.39%. The potentials of the prepared carbon dots toward diverse applications were thoroughly investigated. W-CDs and E-CDs provide promising probes for fluorescence detection of Fe 3+ , offering limits of detection of 0.48 μmol L −1 and 0.29 μmol L −1 , respectively. W-CDs was further demonstrated to be a promising probe for fluorescence sensing of Escherichia coli O157: H7, along with a limit of detection of 9.5×10 4 cfu mL −1 . Meanwhile, both W-CDs and E-CDs exhibit favorable biocompatibility, and demonstrated to be efficient for Hela cell imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multitudinous biochemical reactions occur in living cells, creating and releasing free energy to impel numerous cellular activities. Surplus energy is expelled as heat and resulted in elevated temperature, which induce control of gene expression, tumour metabolism and etc. Sensitive measurement of temperature on nanoscale in cells with ideal fluorescent probes is a great challenge in many areas. By taking the advantages of polymers in tunable critical solution temperature range and good biocompatibility, fluorescent polymeric thermometers (FPT) have drawn extensive attention because they are capable of accurate monitoring temperature with high spatial resolution at cellular level. This review offers a general overview of recent examples of FPT working in cells. The strategy for design and synthesis of the FPT has been highlighted. Furthermore, the applications of the constructed FPT for intracellular temperature variations under normal and external stimuli conditions have been discussed. Deep understanding of these aspects would lead to improvement in designing of unique FPT with real function and applications for intracellular temperature sensing. It will pave a new way not only for the study of intrinsic relationship between temperature and organelle function, but also provide the possibility for deep understanding of intracellular biological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 4−N,N-dimethyl-1,8-naphthalimide based fluorescent probes have been explored for selective detection of Au 3+ . Both probes show a pronounced fluorescence enhancement response to Au 3+ . Hydroxy is introduced as ligand of Au 3+ for Probe 1 and the newly designed Probe 2 contains an alkyne moiety to recognize Au 3+ through an irreversible C≡C bond hydrolysis reaction. Probe 1 exhibits higher performance such as faster response, lower detection limit of 0.050 μM and the better responsive effect in 99.5% water system compared with most of probes published. The Probe 2 displays high stability to pH, suitable water solubility, wider linear range (0–100 μM) to Au 3+ , and live-cells imaging with low cytotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of C 1 -, C 2 - and C 3 -symmetric pyridinium conjugates with different styrene-like side groups were synthesized and were utilized as G-quadruplex selective fluorescent probes. The new compounds were well-characterized. Their selectivity, sensitivity, and stability towards G-quadruplex were studied by fluorescence titration, native PAGE experiments, FRET and circular dichroism (CD) analyses. These new compounds investigated in the fluorescence assays were preferentially bound with G-quadruplex DNA compared with other type of nucleic acids and it is fascinating to realize the effects of molecular symmetry and associated side groups showing unexpectedly great influence on the fluorescent signal enhancement for the discrimination of G-quadruplexes DNA from other nucleic acids. This may correlate with the pocket symmetry and shape of the G-quadruplex DNA inherently. Among the compounds, a C 2 -symmetric dye ( 2,6-bis-((E)-2-(1H-indol-3-yl)-vinyl)-1-methylpyridin-1-ium iodide ) with indolyl-groups substituted was screened out from the series giving the best selectivity and sensitivity towards G-quadruplexes DNA, particularly telo21, due to its high equilibrium binding constant (K=2.17×10 5 M −1 ). In addition, the limit of detection (LOD) of the dye to determine telo21 DNA in bioassays was found as low as 33 nM. The results of the study give insight and certain crucial factors, such as molecular symmetry and the associated side groups, on developing of effective fluorescent dyes for G-quadruplex DNA applications including G-quadruplex structure stabilization, biosensing and clinical applications. The compound was also demonstrated as a very selective G-quadruplex fluorescent agent for living cell staining and imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A diketopyrrolopyrrole–based probe DPP-PyR was able to recognize Fe 3+ and Au 3+ with fluorescent turn–on response via different emission modes with relatively low detection limit. Moreover, DPP-PyR exhibited preferential second mode of selectivity for Au 3+ as it ratiometrically displaced Fe 3+ from the [ DPP-PyR +Fe 3+ ] complex. Furthermore, the imaging experiments indicated that this probe was cell–permeable and could be used to detect Fe 3+ and Au 3+ ions within living cell. To the best of our knowledge, it was the first probe for detection Fe 3+ and Au 3+ at the same time ever reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus and nitrogen doped carbon dots (PN-CDs) were conveniently prepared by carbonization of adenosine-5′-triphosphate using a hydrothermal treatment. The PN-CDs with P/C atomic ratio of ca. 9.2/100 emit blue luminescence with high quantum yields of up to 23.5%. The PN-CDs were used as a novel sensing platform for live cell imaging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), including ClO − , ONOO − , and NO in macrophages. The nanosensor design is based on our new finding that the strong fluorescence of the PN-CDs can be sensitively and selectively quenched by ROS and RNS both in vitro and in vivo. These results reveal that the PN-CDs can serve as a sensitive sensor for rapid imaging of ROS and RNS signaling with high selectivity and contrast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visualizing the plasma membrane of living mammalian cells both in vitro and in vivo is crucial for tracking their cellular activities. However, due to the complex and dynamic nature of the plasma membrane, most commercial dyes for membrane staining can only realize very limited imaging performance. Thus, precise and stable plasma membrane imaging remains technically challenging. Here, by taking advantage of the small, well-defined, and amine-rich dendrimers, we prepared poly(ethylene glycol)-cholesterol (PEG-Chol)-conjugated and cyanine dye (e.g., cyanine2, cyanine3, and cyanine5)-labeled dendrimer nanoprobes (termed DPC-Cy2, DPC-Cy3, and DPC-Cy5 NPs). It was revealed that these probes enabled universal, wash-free, long-term (at least 8 h), and multicolor (green, yellow, and red) plasma membrane labeling of a variety of live mammalian cells. Further, we confirmed that the nanoprobes (using DPC-Cy5 as a representative) could achieve high-quality, wash-free, and stable cell surface labeling of live zebrafish embryos. More importantly, we demonstrated that our probes could act as biosensors to visualize the toxicity of metal – organic frameworks (MOFs) toward the epidermal cells of zebrafish embryos, and thus they hold great potential for identifying the toxic effect of drugs/materials at the single-cell scale or in live animals. The present work highlights the advantages of utilizing dendrimers for constructing functional imaging materials, and it is also believed that the fluorescent dendrimer nanoprobes developed in this work may find wide applications like cell imaging, drug toxicity evaluation, and cellular state monitoring. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock is a heat-related pathology characterized by a high body temperature and an obvious change of many enzymatic activities. Carboxylesterase (CE), as the major hydrolase in liver, is responsible for the hydrolysis of many drugs or the detoxification of various toxins from all organs. However, the correlation between heat shock and the CE activity in cells remains unknown, mainly due to the lack of a suitable research approach. Herein, a new water-soluble fluorescence probe, MYO-CE, with a specific bipiperidinyl recognition moiety has been developed for detecting the CE activity. MYO-CE reacted selectively with CE instead of other esterase, causing a large fluorescence off-on response at 560 nm with a detection limit of 0.39 U/mL. The applicability of MYO-CE for cell imaging was demonstrated by monitoring the alteration of the hepatocellular CE activity under inflammation. More importantly, we investigated the change of the CE activity during heat shock, uncovering a significant increase for the first time. This finding was further validated by a commercial colorimetric kit assay. The proposed probe shows a promising prospect for the CE study in cells under different pathological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent probe 1 based on a chlorinated coumarinyl aldehyde was developed for selective detection and cellular imaging of glutathione (GSH) over cysteine (Cys) and homocysteine (Hcy). Probe 1 exhibits a dramatic colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescence responses toward biothiols Cys, Hcy and GSH with high selectivity over other amino acids. Cys (or Hcy) induces a tandem S N Ar-rearrangement reaction to form the corresponding amino-coumarins ( 2a or 2b ), which result in about 75 nm and 35 nm blue-shifts in absorption and emission, respectively. By comparison, the thio-coumarin ( 3′ ) derived from the S N Ar reaction with GSH, which does not occur rearrangement because of steric hindrance, undergoes an intramolecular aldimine condensation lead to a cyclic iminium cation ( 3 ) with 47 nm and 39 nm red-shifts in absorption and emission, respectively. The significantly difference of photophysical properties enable excellent selectivity towards GSH over Cys and Hcy. Further application to cellular imaging indicates that the probe has appreciable cell permeability and is highly responsive to the changes of GSH level. As a result, it is applicable to monitor GSH level in living cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A smart Off – On molecular scaffold/fluorescent probe 1 has been designed and synthesized. The probe has shown considerable photostability, cell permeability, organelle specificity and selectivity for ATP. The multicolor live cell imaging experiments in HeLa cells showed high selectivity of probe 1 for mitochondria with fluorescence “turn-on” response. As a proof of concept and promising prospects for application in biological sciences probe 1 has been utilized to detect ATP sensitively in a partial aqueous medium and intracellularly in HeLa cells. The favorable interaction between triphosphate unit of ATP and piperazine N atoms of probe 1 is attributed to synergistic effects of H-bonding and electrostatic interactions that encouraged the CH–π and π→π stacking between anthracene and purine rings. Consequently, the observed enhanced “turn-on” emission and a naked-eye sensitive blue–green color in the medium is attributable to arrest in photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rhodamine–naphthalimide dyad probe, 1 , that selectively responds to the addition of trivalent metal ions (Fe 3+ or Al 3+ or Cr 3+ ) via ultrafast Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from naphthalimide to rhodamine is designed and synthesized. 1 is highly selective to the trivalent metal ions and the presence of other monovalent or divalent metal ions do not affect its detection ability. The probe is highly sensitive and it can respond to the presence of trivalent metal ions even at sub-micromolar levels. 1 is stable over a broad range of pH, non-toxic under experimental conditions and suitable to the fluorescence bio-imaging of live cells exposed to trivalent metal ions. The trivalent metal ion induced ultrafast energy transfer kinetics of 1 is explored using time resolved fluorescence experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A naphthalimide-based fluorescent probe CP has been synthesized with simple steps. It can selectively and sensitively recognize copper ions (Cu 2+ ) in HEPES buffer (50 mM, pH 7.2). The fluorescence intensity of CP is linearly proportional to the concentration of Cu 2+ ranging from 0–8.3 μM (correlation coefficient R 2 =0.9808). The resulted complex CP@Cu can serve as a turn-on fluorescent probe for the detection of histidine and histidine rich proteins in broad pH application range. Upon the addition of histidine, the fluorescence intensity of CP@Cu exhibits a linear correlation with the concentration of histidine ranging from 0–200 μM (correlation coefficient R 2 =0.9912). Moreover, CP@Cu has potential for imaging histidine in vitro experiments and has promise in real sample applications with great validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Acrylic acid 3-acetyl-2-oxo-2 H-chromen-7-yl ester (ACA) was rationally designed and synthesized as a simple and effective fluorescent probe for sensing cysteine with high selectivity and naked-eye detection. The probe can detect cysteine by fluorescence spectrometry with a detection limit of 0.657μM and can be used with calf serum and in live cell imaging. The conjugate addition/cyclization sequence mechanism of the reaction between ACA and cysteine was confirmed by ESI-MS and fluorescence spectra. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report a novel colorimetric and red-emitting fluorescent probe for hydrazine detection based on resorufin platform. This OFF–ON fluorescent probe shows a large (117nm) red-shifted absorption spectrum and the color changes from colorless to red upon addition of hydrazine in the aqueous solution, which can serve as a “naked-eye” probe for hydrazine. Moreover, this probe also shows a significant fluorescence increase (~16 folds) and excellent linear relationship at physiological pH. Utilizing this sensitive and selective probe, we have successfully detected hydrazine in living cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new ratiometric fluorescent probe derived from 2-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl) benzothiazole (HMBT) has been developed for selective monitoring of human carboxylesterase 1 (hCE1). The probe is designed by introducing benzoyl moiety to HMBT. The prepared latent spectroscopic probe 1 displays satisfying stability under physiological pH conditions with very low background signal. Both the reaction phynotyping and chemical inhibition assays demonstrated that hCE1 mediated the specific cleavage of the carboxylic ester bond of probe 1 in human biological samples. The release of HMBT leads to a remarkable red-shifted emission in fluorescence spectrum (120nm large emission shift). Furthermore, human cell-based assays show that probe 1 is cell membrane permeable, and it can be used for bioassay and cellular imaging of hCE1 activity in HepG2 cells. These findings lead to the development of a simple and sensitive fluorescent method for measurement of hCE1 activity in vitro or in living cells, in the presence of additional enzymes or endogenous compounds. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The 4-propargylamino-1,8-naphthalimide based fluorescent probe 1 has been explored as a sensor for selective detection of Au3+. 4-Amino-1,8-naphthalimides, that possess typical intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) electronic characteristics, have been widely used as versatile platforms for fluorescent probes. The newly designed probe 1 contains a propargylamine moiety at C-4 of the naphthalimide chromophore that reacts with Au3+ to generate a product that has distinctly different electronic properties from 1. Specifically, the probe undergoes a remarkable change in its absorption spectrum upon addition of Au3+ that is associated with a distinct color change from yellow to light pink. In addition, a blue shift of ca. 56nm also takes place in the emission spectra of the probe. Consequently, 1 serves as a reaction-based sensor or so called chemodosimeter for Au3+. Importantly, surfactants enhance the rate of reaction of 1 with Au3+, thus, enhancing its use as a real time sensor. Finally, the results of studies probing its application to bioimaging of Au3+ in live cells show that the probe 1 has a unique ability to sense Au3+ in cells and, in particular, in lipid droplets within cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Fluorescent probes combined with confocal microscopy are recognized as a powerful tool for imaging living cells and even organelles due to their high sensitivity and resolution. However, many of analyte-activatable and organelle-targetable fluorescent probes are developed via tedious attempts, and a relatively predictable method to design such probes is still lacking. Herein, we put forward an effective synthetic strategy to construct both targetable and responsive probes for organelles based on the cresyl violet scaffold. The approach allows access to a variety of organelle-targeting fluorescent probes for an analyte of interest via introducing the corresponding targeting and recognition groups to the 5- and 9-positions of cresyl violet, respectively. The potency of the approach is exemplified by its application to develop four cresyl violet-based fluorophores with different organelle-targeting groups, and a mitochondrion-targeting ratiometric probe capable of imaging Pd0 in living cells. •A general approach is put forward to develop both targetable and responsive fluorescent probes based on the cresyl violet scaffold. •The approach simplifies the structure identification of cresyl violet-based probes. •The potency of the method is exemplified by its application to develop four fluorophores with different organelle-targeting units, and a mitochondrion-targeting ratiometric probe capable of imaging Pd0 in living cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new fluorescent nanoprobe, 4-amino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine oxide (AT)-functionalized CdTe quantum dots (QDs–AT), was synthesized, for selective detection of nonprotein thiols based on electron transfer (ET). In the presence of nonprotein thiols, the nitroxide radicals in QDs–AT were converted to hydroxylamines, resulting in the fluorescence recovery of the quenched QDs. The detection mechanism of the probe was investigated using Rh-Se-2 probe. The nanoprobe has high sensitivity toward glutathione (GSH) with a detection limit of 7.1×10−8 M. The fluorescent imaging of living cells showed that QDs–AT could distinguish the concentration differences of GSH in HL-7702 and HepG2 cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A macrocyclic Schiff base fluorescent probe [1,2-phenylenediamine-2,6-pyridinedialdehyde macrocyclic Schiff base] (BP-MSB) based on 2,6-pyridinedialdehyde was synthesized for use in the detection of Cu2+ in environmental water samples and live cells imaging by the method of specific recognition. The free fluorescent probe BP-MSB shows strong fluorescence in DMSO/H 2 O. The probe shows high sensitivity and selectivity for Cu2+ through "turn-off" fluorescence response in DMSO/H 2 O buffer solution (pH = 6.5), with a detection limit of 0.83 nM, which is far below the maximum allowable drinking water content of 20.0 μM specified by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The BP-MSB fluorescence quenching method was used for the determination of Cu2+ in Xiang Jiang water samples and tap-water. Furthermore, addition of the same number of moles of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) can realize the reversible recognition of Cu2+ by the probe BP-MSB. Most importantly, the fluorescence imaging of live cells after incubation of BP-MSB with GM12878 cells showed good imaging performance, confirming the sensitivity of the fluorescent probe BP-MSB in vivo. The probe was also used to form an analog logic gate. This probe has the advantages of good stability, simple operation and high selectivity, which provides a broad prospect for environmental monitoring, intracellular detection and practical application of POCT. • The probe BP-MSB has high sensitivity to Cu2+, and has been successfully applied to the detection of actual samples. • Based on the probe BP-MSB, Cu2+ and EDTA can be used as two logical inputs to implement analog logic gates. • The BP-MSB probe has low toxicity and has broad application prospects in the fields of biochemistry and biomedicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marring the reversible covalent chemistry with BODIPY dye, which is a superfamily of fluorophores with striking photophysical performances, would enable a panel of diverse dynamic fluorescent probes for biomedical applications. Herein we show that structural manipulation of BODIPY allows rational tuning of α -site or meso -site activation as well as the spectral response toward nucleophiles. By rational molecular design, we have obtained a highly specific and reversible GSH probe, α BD-GSH , which exhibits a tremendously fast and dynamic fluorescence response within the wide physiological GSH concentration range of 0–8 mM. We successfully applied α BD-GSH to real-time imaging of intracellular GSH dynamics in different cell lines. In light of the remarkable photophysical properties and synthesis flexibility of BODIPY dyes, the current findings will help to design more reversible BODIPY-based fluorescent probes targeting various bio-species. Image 1 • We successfully introduced BODIPY family to the design of dynamic fluorescence probes, and synthesized the hitherto fastest α , β -unsaturated ketone/amide-based dynamic fluorescent GSH probe. • The utility of α BD-GSH for real-time visualization of intracellular GSH dynamics was demonstrated in different cell lines. • We established, for the first time, that structural manipulation of BODIPY allows rational tuning of α -site or meso -site activation as well as the spectral response toward nucleophiles. This fundamental finding opens the door for the design of more BODIPY-based dynamic fluorescent probes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormal expression of γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) in living organisms is closely associated with tumorigenesis. However, few reported fluorescence probes can specifically respond to abnormal concentration of GGT. Here, by functionalizing triarylboron moiety with three GGT-specific substrate (GSH) units, a novel fluorescence probe, TAB-3-GSH, was developed for detecting GGT. The results showed that TAB-3-GSH selectively responds to abnormally high levels of GGT (100–1000 U/L) rather than to normal GGT levels (<100 U/L) with ratiometric readout, since the amide linkage can be further hydrolyzed under high GGT levels. TAB-3-GSH was also capable of differentiating GGT-overexpressing ovarian cancer cells from normal cells, because of an improvement in the probe's cell membrane permeability upon reaction with GGT. Moreover, the probe could achieve selective imaging of SKOV-3 tumor site in xenograft mice model. Thus, TAB-3-GSH is a promising probe for tumor targeting in vivo. • A triarylboron based ratiometric fluorescent probe for abnormally high levels of GGT (100-1000 U/L) was developed. • The probe can discriminate some cancer cells since its' cell membrane permeability can be improved after reacting with GGT. • The probe can selectively locate tumor sites in mouse tumor models, making it to be promising for tumor targeting in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]