An enzyme-activatable probe liberating AIEgens: on-site sensing and long-term tracking of β-galactosidase in ovarian cancer cells.

ABSTRACT: Development of fluorescent probes for on-site sensing and long-term tracking of specific biomarkers is particularly desirable for the early detection of diseases. However, available small-molecule probes tend to facilely diffuse across the cell membrane or remain at the activation site but always suffer from the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect. Here we report an enzyme-activatable aggregation-induced emission (AIE) probe QM-βgal, which is composed of a hydrophilic β-galactosidase (β-gal)-triggered galactose moiety and a hydrophobic AIE-active fluorophore QM-OH. The probe is virtually non-emissive in aqueous media, but when activated by β-gal, specific enzymatic turnover would liberate hydrophobic AIE luminogen (AIEgen) QM-OH, and then highly fluorescent nanoaggregates are in s

SUBMITTER: Gu K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6334664 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature