Ju Mei,†,‡,∥ Nelson L. C. Leung,†,‡,∥ Ryan T. K. Kwok,†,‡ Jacky W. Y. Lam,†,‡ and Ben Zhong Tang*,†,‡,§ †HKUST-Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518057, China ‡Department of Chemistry, HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study, Institute of Molecular Functional Materials, Division of Biomedical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China Guangdong Innovative Research Team, SCUT-HKUST Joint Research Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China

Aggregation-Induced Emission: Together We Shine, United We Soar!

Yuming Yang,†,§ Qiang Zhao,‡,§ Wei Feng,† and Fuyou Li*,† †Department of Chemistry and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China ‡Key Laboratory for Organic Electronics and Information Displays (KLOEID) and Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210046, P. R. China.

Luminescent chemodosimeters for bioimaging.

The brain is a singular organ of unique biological complexity that serves as the command center for cognitive and motor function. As such, this specialized system also possesses a unique chemical composition and reactivity at the molecular level. In this regard, two vital distinguishing features of the brain are its requirements for the highest concentrations of metal ions in the body and the highest per-weight consumption of body oxygen. In humans, the brain accounts for only 2% of total body mass but consumes 20% of the oxygen that is taken in through respiration. As a consequence of high oxygen demand and cell complexity, distinctly high metal levels pervade all regions of the brain and central nervous system. Structural roles for metal ions in the brain and the body include the stabilization of biomolecules in static (e.g., Mg2+ for nucleic acid folds, Zn2+ in zinc-finger transcription factors) or dynamic (e.g., Na+ and K+ in ion channels, Ca2+ in neuronal cell signaling) modes, and catalytic roles for brain metal ions are also numerous and often of special demand.

Metals in Neurobiology: Probing Their Chemistry and Biology with Molecular Imaging

This tutorial review focuses on the recent development of rhodamine derivatives, in which the spirolactam (non-fluorescent) to ring-opened amide (fluorescent) process was utilized.

A new trend in rhodamine-based chemosensors: application of spirolactam ring-opening to sensing ions

Rare-earth upconversion nanophosphors (UCNPs), when excited by continuous-wave near-infrared light, exhibit a unique narrow photoluminescence with higher energy. Such special upconversion luminescence makes UCNPs promising as bioimaging probes with attractive features, such as no auto-fluorescence from biological samples and a large penetration depth. As a result, UCNPs have emerged as novel imaging agents for small animals. In this critical review, recent reports regarding the synthesis of water-soluble UCNPs and their surface modification and bioconjugation chemistry are summarized. The applications of UCNPs for small-animal imaging, including tumor-targeted imaging, lymphatic imaging, vascular imaging and cell tracking are reviewed in detail. The exploration of UCNPs as multifunctional nanoscale carriers for integrated imaging and therapy is also presented. The biodistribution and toxicology of UCNPs are further described. Finally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities in the development of UCNP-based nanoplatforms for small-animal imaging (276 references).

Upconversion nanophosphors for small-animal imaging

We demonstrated a highly electron-deficient system 1 as a turn-on fluorescence sensor for intracellular imaging of Cys/Hcy in biological samples. On the basis of the specific nucleophilic ability of thiols of Cys and Hcy, 1 exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity for Cys/Hcy over other amino acids and thiol biomolecules. This probe is the first Cys/Hcy sensor with excitation in the visible region and turn-on (75-fold) fluorescence emission and also gives a significant increase in two-photon excited fluorescence for sensing Cys/Hcy. Moreover, confocal laser scanning microscopy and two-photon laser scanning microscopy experiments further established that 1 can be used for sensing Cys/Hcy within biological samples.

Jianping Zhang

Papers

A highly selective fluorescence turn-on sensor for cysteine/homocysteine and its application in bioimaging.

A selective turn-on fluorescent sensor for FeIII and application to bioimaging

Novel Y-type two-photon active fluorophore: synthesis and application in fluorescent sensor for cysteine and homocysteine

A novel Y-type, two-photon active fluorophore : Synthesis and application in ratiometric fluorescent sensor for fluoride anion