Release Time:2022-04-11  Hits:

Indexed by: Journal Papers

Date of Publication: 2021-04-12

Journal: ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION

Volume: 59

Issue: 25

Page Number: 10186-10195

ISSN: 1433-7851

Key Words: aggregation-induced emission; AIEgens; enzyme activity; nanoprobes; tumor detection

Abstract: Monitoring fluctuations in enzyme overexpression facilitates early tumor detection and excision. An AIEgen probe (DQM-ALP) for the imaging of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was synthesized. The probe consists of a quinoline-malononitrile (QM) core decorated with hydrophilic phosphate groups as ALP-recognition units. The rapid liberation of DQM-OH aggregates in the presence of ALP resulted in aggregation-induced fluorescence. The up-regulation of ALP expression in tumor cells was imaged using DQM-ALP. The probe permeated into 3D cervical and liver tumor spheroids for imaging spatially heterogeneous ALP activity with high spatial resolution on a two-photon microscopy platform, providing the fluorescence-guided recognition of sub-millimeter tumorigenesis. DQM-ALP enabled differentiation between tumor and normal tissue ex vivo and in vivo, suggesting that the probe may serve as a powerful tool to assist surgeons during tumor resection.