Bioorthogonal Turn‐On Probe Based on Aggregation‐Induced Emission Characteristics for Cancer Cell Imaging and Ablation

Bioorthogonal turn‐on probes have been widely utilized in visualizing various biological processes. Most of the currently available bioorthogonal turn‐on probes are blue or green emissive fluorophores with azide or tetrazine as functional groups. Herein, we present an alternative strategy of designing bioorthogonal turn‐on probes based on red‐emissive fluorogens with aggregation‐induced emission characteristics (AIEgens). The probe is water soluble and non‐fluorescent due to the dissipation of energy through free molecular motion of the AIEgen, but the fluorescence is immediately turned on upon click reaction with azide‐functionalized glycans on cancer cell surface. The fluorescence turn‐on is ascribed to the restriction of molecular motion of AIEgen, which populates the radiative decay channel. Moreover, the AIEgen can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon visible light (λ=400–700 nm) irradiation, demonstrating its dual role as an imaging and phototherapeutic agent.     

A Mitochondria-targeted AIEgen Labelled with 18F for Breast Cancer Cell Imaging and Therapy

A lack of efficient diagnostic tools for early and noninvasive diagnosis of breast cancer has restricted the clinical treatment effect. This problem might be addressed by the combination of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorescence imaging and positron emission tomography (PET) with the dual advantages of high resolution and easy operation, and unlimited penetration and high sensitivity. Here, a mitochondria-targeted AIE luminogen (AIEgen) radiolabeled with ¹⁸F was developed through a two-step radiochemical reaction by virtue of a prosthetic group. The obtained ^18/19F-Bz-CP imaging probe was examined by in vitro cell uptake and cell proliferation inhibition in two breast cancer cell lines, showing that the probe can efficiently target and locate in the mitochondria through the analysis of fluorescence imaging and PET simultaneously. Additionally, the probe can induce cancer cell apoptosis with the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 4.8 μM for MCF-7 cells and 7.2 μM for T47D cells, indicating its potential application for breast cancer therapy.     

Donor-Acceptor Typed AIE Luminogens with Near-infrared Emission for Super-resolution Imaging

Aggregation-induced emission(AIE)luminogens(AIEgens)with high brightness in aggregates exhibit great potentials in biological imaging,but these AIEgens are seldom applied in super-resolution biological imaging,especially in the imaging by using the structural illumination microscope(SIM).Based on this consideration,we synthesized the donor-acceptor typed AIEgen of DTPA-BTN,which not only owns high brightness in the near-infrared(NIR)emission region from 600 nm to 1000 nm(photoluminescence quantum yield,PLQYs=11.35%),but also displays excellent photo-stability.In addition,AIE nanoparticles based on 4,7-ditriphenylamine-[1,2,5]-thiadiazolo[3,4-c]pyridine(DTPA-BTN)were also prepared with highly emissive features and excellent biocompatibility.Finally,the developed DTPA-BTN-based AIE nanoparticles were applied in the super-resolution cellular imaging via SIM,where much smaller full width at half-maximum values and high signal to noise ratios were obtained,indicating the superior imaging resolution.The results here imply that highly emissive AIEgens or AIE nanoparticles can be promising imaging agents for super-resolution imaging via SIM.     

Recent Development of DNA-modified AIEgen Probes for Biomedical Application

A variety of DNA-based probes are utilized for the detections of multiple analytes and DNA nanotechnology has been thriving for recent decades and achieving numerous nanostructures,mainly focusing on DNA morphology modulation and multifunctional systems engineered into to the complicated works.Among the numerous detections,fluorescence method is a non-invasive,highly selective and sensitive means for varieties of applications,but their emissions are often compromised by the aggregation-caused quenching(ACQ)effect,which weakens their applications.The aggregation induced emission luminogens(AIEgens)are created with non emissive or weakly emissive in a low concentration but emit strong fluorescence in a high concentration with aggregated states.Herein,numerous functionalized AIEgens have been emerged and used for detection and imaging and DNA-modified AIEgen probes are introduced.In this vein,here we report the progress on DNA-modified AIEgen probes in recent years and highlight their conjugation strategies including covalent bonding,electrostatic interaction and their applications of biosensing.Moreover,multiple DNA strands are needed to introduce into the DNA-modified AIEgen probes for more purposes.At the end,some challenges are mentioned to discuss the new trend of DNA-modified AIEgen probes.     

Investigating the effects of side chain length on the AIE properties of water-soluble TPE derivatives

The emissive properties of fluorophores in aggregated state are important for the development of bio-sensors or bio-imaging reagents. So three water-soluble TPE derivatives with different lengths of side chains have been synthesized and we investigated the effects of side chains on aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties in the aggregated states. The results indicate that side chains on the fluorophores play a pivotal role in their emission in aggregated state mediated by heparin or solid state, because the coplanarity of these TPE derivatives was affected by side chains. The rates of radiative decay k_f and non-radiative decay k_nr have been obtained through the quantum yields and lifetime, and a larger k_f and smaller k_nr were present for compound TPE-C4N, suggesting that the aggregated TPE-C4N should posses the most remarkable fluorescent property.     

Tetraphenylethene End-capped Polyethylenimine Fluorescent Nanoparticles for Cell Imaging

Water soluble tetraphenylethene-based（TPE） aggregation-induced emission fluorescent organic nanoparticles（FONs） were facilely prepared via Schiff base condensation with polyethylenimine（PEI） and subsequent reduction. The obtained TPE-PEI FONs were characterized by a series of techniques including 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, gel permeation chromatography, UV absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, size distribution and zeta potential measurement, and transmission electron microscopy. Biocompatibility evaluation and cell imaging of TPE-PEI FONs were further explored. We demonstrated that such FONs showed intense fluorescence, spherical morphology and excellent biocompatibility, making them very suitable for cell imaging application.     

Aggregation-induced emission enhancement of yellow photoluminescent carbon dots for highly selective detection of environmental and intracellular copper(II) ions

Photoluminescent (PL) carbon nanodots (CDs) are prepared through a simple one-step hydrothermal treatment of o-phenylendiamine (OPD), and the as-prepared OPD-CDs show yellow PL emission under the ultraviolet excitation, which can be further enhanced by Cu²⁺ ions owing to Cu²⁺ ions induced aggregation of OPD-CDs through the coordination of Cu²⁺ with amino groups on the surface of OPD-CDs.     

Chiral Reticular Self‐Assembly of Achiral AIEgen into Optically Pure Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) with Dual Mechano‐Switchable Circularly Polarized Luminescence

Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) is attractive in understanding the excited‐state chirality and developing advanced materials. Herein, we propose a chiral reticular self‐assembly strategy to unite achiral AIEgens, chirality donors, and metal ions to fabricate optically pure AIEgen metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as efficient CPL materials. We have found that CPL activity of the single‐crystal AIEgen MOF was generated by the framework‐enabled strong emission from AIEgens and through‐space chirality transfer from chirality donors to achiral AIEgens via metal‐ion bridges. For the first time, a dual mechano‐switched blue and red‐shifted CPL activity was achieved via ultrasonication and grinding, which enabled the rotation or stacking change of AIEgen rotors with the intact homochiral framework. This work provided not only an insightful view of the aggregation induced emission (AIE) mechanism, but also an efficient and versatile strategy for the preparation of stimuli‐responsive CPL materials.     

Bioactivated in vivo assembly(BIVA) peptide-tetraphenylethylene(TPE) probe with controllable assembled nanostructure for cell imaging

The emergence of fluorescent light-up molecular probe, which can specifically turn on their fluorescent in the presence of stimulation factors, has open up a new opportunity to advance biosensing and bioimaging. In this work, we designed and synthesized a peptide-AIE conjugate probe for cell imaging with controlled in situ assembled nanostructures. The modular designed probe is consisted of a selfassembled peptide-tetraphenylethene(TPE) motif, a fibroblast activation protein alpha(FAP-α)responsive motif, a hydrophilic motif and a targeting motif. The probe exhibits typically turn-on fluorescence property specifically triggered by FAP-α, which is a significant overexpressed membrane protein on pancreatic tumor cells. Interestingly, the peptide modified the TPE dramatically impacts the assembled nanostructure, which can be modulated by peptide sequences. As a result, the peptide FF(PhePhe) modification of TPE as the self-assembled motif provides a suitable balance of the probe with lightup property and nanofiber assembled structure in situ. Finally, our probe could effectively detect the FAP-α on tumor cells with high specificity. Meantime, the nanofibers in situ assembled on the surface of CAFs enhanced the probe accumulation and prolonged the retention for cell imaging. We envision that this study may inspire new insights into the design of nanostructure controlled AIE light-up bio-probe.     

Aggregation-induced Emission Fluorogen as Mammalian Cell Cytoplasmic Tracker with Long Retention Time and High Photo-stability

Fluorescent probes used for cell imaging are powerful tools in cell-based assays and research.In this study,we exhibited a water-soluble aggregation-induced emission fluorogen(AIEgen),BSPO-TPE,specifically stained cytoplasm in live cells and had an excellent photostability when compared to that of two widely used commercial fluorescent dyes.The long cytoplasm retention time of BSPO-TPE demonstrated its suitability as a live cell cytoplasm tracker.     

基于聚集诱导发光荧光探针的细胞成像研究进展

荧光探针是化学传感技术领域在20世纪末的一项重大发现,具有合成简单、灵敏度高、选择性好、响应时间短、可视化高等优点。 将具有聚集诱导发光现象(AIE)特征的荧光基团与具有生物相容性的高分子结合起来,使得荧光材料具有毒性低、光稳定性好、生物相容性好等特点。 在分子、离子检测和细胞成像技术中得到广泛的研究和应用。 本文综述了细胞质成像、细胞膜成像、线粒体成像、溶酶体成像、脂滴成像、细胞核成像、细胞核和线粒体双靶向性成像的荧光探针,并对其应用前景做了展望。     

Structural Controls of Tetraphenylbenzene-based AIEgens for Non-doped Deep Blue Organic Light-emitting Diodes

Aggregation-induced emission(AIE)has emerged as a new concept,giving highly efficient solid-state photoluminescence.Particularly,AIE luminogens(AIEgens)with deep blue emission(400–450 nm)have displayed salient advantages for non-doped organic light-emitting diodes(OLEDs).However,deep blue emitters with Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage(CIE)coordinates less than 0.08 are still rare.In this review,we outline the latest achievements in the molecular guidelines based on the AIE core of tetraphenylbenzene(TPB)for developing efficient deep blue AIEgens.We provide insights into the construction of deep blue emitters with high horizontal orientation by regulating the length of the linear molecule.We also discuss the luminescence mechanisms of these AIEgens-based OLEDs by using the magnetic field effects measurements.Finally,a summary of the challenges and perspectives of deep blue AIEgens for non-doped OLEDs is also presented.     

An Efficient Near-Infrared Emissive Artificial Supramolecular Light-Harvesting System for Imaging in the Golgi Apparatus

Light-harvesting systems are an important way for capturing, transferring and utilizing light energy. It remains a key challenge to develop highly efficient artificial light-harvesting systems. Herein, we report a supramolecular co-assembly based on lower-rim dodecyl-modified sulfonatocalix[4]arene (SC4AD) and naphthyl-1,8-diphenyl pyridinium derivative (NPS) as a light-harvesting platform. NPS as a donor shows significant aggregation induced emission enhancement (AIEE) after assembling with SC4AD. Upon introduction of Nile blue (NiB) as an acceptor into the NPS-SC4AD co-assembly, the light-harvesting system becomes near-infrared (NIR) emissive (675 nm). Importantly, the NIR emitting NPS-SC4AD-NiB system exhibits an ultrahigh antenna effect (33.1) at a high donor/acceptor ratio (250:1). By co-staining PC-3 cells with a Golgi staining reagent, NBD C₆-ceramide, NIR imaging in the Golgi apparatus has been demonstrated using these NIR emissive nanoparticles.     

Deep Eutectic Solvent-assisted Synthesis of Nitrogen-doped Carbon Quantum Dots for Cell Imaging

Carbon quantum dots(CQDs) are widely used in fluorescence imaging due to their negligible toxicity, low-cost and excellent fluorescence properties. The fluorescence properties of CQDs are greatly affected by the synthesis method, passivation agent and reaction media. In this study, the nitrogen-doped CQDs(N-CQDs) were synthesized by a facile microwave-assisted method with citric acid(CA) as a carbon source and deep eutectic solvents as a N-dopant as well as the reaction solvent. After detailed characterizations, the as-prepared N-CQDs exhibited near spherical morphology with an average size of (2.64±0.55) nm. Besides, the abundant hydrophilic functional groups including hydroxyl, carboxyl, amine and quaternary ammonium were present on the surface of the N-CQDs. The N-CQDs displayed the excitation-dependent fluorescence feature under the excitation wavelength of 350-480 nm. Moreover, the N-CQDs could be efficiently uptaken by RAW264.7 cells and emitted bright green light. Meanwhile, the resultant N-CQDs showed the low cytotoxicity in living cells, suggesting the great potential in bio-imaging applications.     

聚集诱导发光材料显现潜指纹应用研究的综合实验设计**

结合前期的科研成果,设计了一个以聚集诱导发光材料在潜指纹显现应用研究为主线的综合性化学实验。整个实验包含了聚集诱导发光性质研究、潜指纹显现应用和在自动指纹识别系统平台上匹配测试等3方面内容。本实验贴近学科前沿且联系公安工作实际,不仅可以促使学生了解聚集诱导发光材料的研究现状和刑事科学技术学科前沿知识,还可以解决公安教育与公安实践脱节的问题。     

聚合物聚集诱导发光体系及机理研究进展

聚集态诱导发光(AIE)现象自2001年被发现以来发展十分迅速,从早期的小分子体系逐渐发展到高分子聚合物体系。与传统的小分子相比,聚合物体系的AIE材料能够克服加工上的难题,为制备高效发光器件创造了良好条件。AIE机理随着体系的开发不断发展,其核心依然是分子聚集态变化导致的辐射跃迁渠道,每一种AIE现象的形成往往需要几个因素协同作用,机理的不断完善一方面很好地解释了现有的AIE现象,另一方面为开发出新的AIE体系奠定了理论基础。本文总结了几种在小分子基础上形成的聚合物AIE体系,并在现有的机理基础上介绍了几种较新的AIE机理。     

高效近红外聚集诱导发光纳米粒子用于生物成像的研究

基于荧光共振能量转移机理（FRET）,利用两亲性聚合物Pluronic F-127共包覆两种聚集诱导发光（Aggregation-induced Emission,AIE）材料TPABDFN和TPE-Me,制备了高效近红外发射TPABDFN/TPE-Me@F127纳米粒子.实验表明,这种聚合物纳米粒子具有很大的斯托克斯位移和较高的荧光量子效率,很好的单分散性、稳定性,以及较好的生物相容性和低的细胞毒性,对HepG2细胞进行荧光生物成像,得到很好的细胞成像效果.     

Synthesis and properties of a new AIE macrocyclic emitter with triarylamine backbone

A new macrocyclic AIE emitter composed of triarylamine backbone was successfully synthesized through convenient homocoupling procedure and easily purified by silica gel column chromatography, and recrystallization. The optical and electrochemical properties of the compound have been investigated. Intriguingly, the compound shows dual emission both 423 nm and 505 nm. This result implied that the violet emission was originated from an isolated component of the emitter, whereas the yellowish-green emission simultaneously exhibited AIE nature. The compound exhibits enough thermal stability and high glass transition temperature to be applied for organic devices.     

An Efficient Near‐Infrared Emissive Artificial Supramolecular Light‐Harvesting System for Imaging in the Golgi Apparatus

Light‐harvesting systems are an important way for capturing, transferring and utilizing light energy. It remains a key challenge to develop highly efficient artificial light‐harvesting systems. Herein, we report a supramolecular co‐assembly based on lower‐rim dodecyl‐modified sulfonatocalix[4]arene (SC4AD) and naphthyl‐1,8‐diphenyl pyridinium derivative (NPS) as a light‐harvesting platform. NPS as a donor shows significant aggregation induced emission enhancement (AIEE) after assembling with SC4AD. Upon introduction of Nile blue (NiB) as an acceptor into the NPS‐SC4AD co‐assembly, the light‐harvesting system becomes near‐infrared (NIR) emissive (675 nm). Importantly, the NIR emitting NPS‐SC4AD‐NiB system exhibits an ultrahigh antenna effect (33.1) at a high donor/acceptor ratio (250:1). By co‐staining PC‐3 cells with a Golgi staining reagent, NBD C₆‐ceramide, NIR imaging in the Golgi apparatus has been demonstrated using these NIR emissive nanoparticles.