Designing an ESIPT-based fluorescent probe for imaging of hydrogen peroxide during the ferroptosis process.

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent, non-apoptotic form of programmed cell death driven by excessive lipid peroxidation (LPO). Mounting evidence suggests that the unique modality of cell death is involved in the development and progression of several diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), neurodegenerative disorders, etc. However, the pathogenesis and signalling pathways of ferroptosis are not fully understood, possibly due to the lack of robust tools for the highly selective and sensitive imaging of ferroptosis analytes in complex living systems. Up to now, various small-molecule fluorescent probes have been applied as promising chemosensors for studying ferroptosis through tracking the biomolecules or microenvironment-related parameters in vitro and in vivo. In this review, we comprehensively reviewed the recent development of small-molecule fluorescent probes for studying ferroptosis, with a focus on the analytes, design strategies and bioimaging applications. We also provided new insights to overcome the major challenges in this emerging field.

Recent advances in small-molecule fluorescent probes for studying ferroptosis.

The current review describes advances in the use of fluorescent 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (BTD) derivatives after nearly one decade since the first description of bioimaging experiments using this class of fluorogenic dyes. The review describes the use of BTD-containing fluorophores applied as, inter alia, bioprobes for imaging cell nuclei, mitochondria, lipid droplets, sensors, markers for proteins and related events, biological processes and activities, lysosomes, plasma membranes, multicellular models, and animals. A number of physicochemical and photophysical properties commonly observed for BTD fluorogenic structures are also described.

Fluorescent Benzothiadiazole Derivatives as Fluorescence Imaging Dyes: A Decade of New Generation Probes.

A biotin-guided two-photon fluorescent probe for detection of hydrogen peroxide in cancer cells ferroptosis process.

Recent advances in reaction-based fluorescent probes for the detection of central nervous system-related pathologies in vivo

Rational design of an ESIPT-based fluorescent probe for selectively monitoring glutathione in live cells and zebrafish.

This work highlights the use of push-pull hydroxylphenylpolyenylpyridinium fluorophores coupled with trimethyl lock quinone to engineer the ratiometric two-photon probes for cellular and intravital imaging of mitochondrial NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), a critical antioxidant enzyme responsible for detoxifying quinones. As a typical representative, QBMP showed favorable binding with NQO1 with a Michaelis constant of 12.74 μM and exhibited a suite of superior properties, including rapid response (4 min), large Stokes shift (162 nm), ultralow detection limit (0.9 nM), favorable two-photon cross section for the released fluorophore (70.5 GM), and deep tissue penetration (225 μm) in fixed brain tissues. More importantly, this probe was successfully applied for distinguishing different NQO1-expressing cancer and normal cells, revealing decreased NQO1 activity in a cellular Parkinson's disease model, screening NQO1 inducers as neuroprotective agents, and imaging of NQO1 in live mouse brain.

Developing Push-Pull Hydroxylphenylpolyenylpyridinium Chromophores as Ratiometric Two-Photon Fluorescent Probes for Cellular and Intravital Imaging of Mitochondrial NQO1.

Separation of the overlapped humic acid and BGP characteristic peaks using two-dimensional correlation fluorescence-UV-vis spectroscopy.

A strategy to reduce the effect of organic matter on fluorescence intensity for improving the detection accuracy of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil.

Han-Chen Zhang

Papers

Designing an ESIPT-based fluorescent probe for imaging of hydrogen peroxide during the ferroptosis process.

Rational design of an ESIPT-based fluorescent probe for selectively monitoring glutathione in live cells and zebrafish.

Developing Push-Pull Hydroxylphenylpolyenylpyridinium Chromophores as Ratiometric Two-Photon Fluorescent Probes for Cellular and Intravital Imaging of Mitochondrial NQO1.

Separation of the overlapped humic acid and BGP characteristic peaks using two-dimensional correlation fluorescence-UV-vis spectroscopy.

A strategy to reduce the effect of organic matter on fluorescence intensity for improving the detection accuracy of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil.