在人体中,羧酸酯酶(CEs)在外源性生物代谢和脂质稳态中起着至关重要的作用。但CEs的异常表达与某些疾病高度相关,如高脂血症,糖尿病,还有肝癌.因此,开发一种有效的工具来准确检测活生物体中的CEs具有重要意义。在这里,一种创新的近红外(NIR)荧光探针,TTAP-AB,设计用于基于聚集诱导发射(AIE)机制的CE检测。该探头显示出快速响应(2分钟),出色的灵敏度(检测限=8.14×10-6U/mL),和对CE的高选择性。此外,由于其良好的生物相容性,TTAP-AB探针能够监测药物诱导的活细胞和斑马鱼中CE水平的动态变化。更重要的是,TTAP-AB探针成功地用于成像肝肿瘤,并通过实时监测CEs协助肿瘤切除,表明TTAP-AB有望指导肝癌手术。因此,TTAP-AB探针不仅可以丰富生物系统中的CE检测策略,而且在某些临床成像应用中具有巨大的潜力,包括医学诊断,临床前研究,和影像引导手术。
In the human body, carboxylesterases (CEs) play crucial roles in xenobiotic metabolism and lipid homeostasis. But abnormal expression of CEs is highly associated with some diseases, such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and liver cancer. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop an efficient tool for the accurate detection of CEs in living organisms. Herein, an innovative near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe, TTAP-AB, was designed for CE detection based on the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) mechanism. This probe exhibits rapid response (2 min), excellent sensitivity (limit of detection = 8.14 × 10-6 U/mL), and high selectivity to CEs. Additionally, owing to its good biocompatibility, the TTAP-AB probe enables the monitoring of dynamic changes in CE levels under drug-induced modulation in living cells and zebrafish. More importantly, the TTAP-AB probe was successfully employed to image liver tumors and assist in tumor resection through the real-time monitoring of CEs, indicating that TTAP-AB is promising to guide liver cancer surgery. Therefore, the TTAP-AB probe can not only enrich the strategies for CE detection in biological systems but also has great potential for some clinical imaging applications, including medical diagnosis, preclinical research, and imaging-guided surgery.