Citation: Xianghan Zhang, Yuan Qin, Huaicong Zhang, Yutian Cao, Haixing Zhu, Yingdi Tang, Zimeng Ma, Zehua Li, Jialin Zhou, Qunyan Dong, Peng Yang, Yuqiong Xia, Zhongliang Wang. An aggregation-independent and rotor-specific TPE-cyanine probe for in vivo near-infrared fluorescent imaging[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2025, 36(9): 110715. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2024.110715 shu

An aggregation-independent and rotor-specific TPE-cyanine probe for in vivo near-infrared fluorescent imaging

Xianghan Zhang ^{a, b} ,
Yuan Qin ^{a, b} ,
Huaicong Zhang ^{a, b} ,
Yutian Cao ^a ,
Haixing Zhu ^a ,
Yingdi Tang ^a ,
Zimeng Ma ^a ,
Zehua Li ^a ,
Jialin Zhou ^a ,
Qunyan Dong ^a ,
Peng Yang ^a ,
Yuqiong Xia ^a ,
Zhongliang Wang ^{a, *,}

a.
Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging (Ministry of Education), School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, China
b.
Guangzhou Institute of Technology, Xidian University, Guangzhou 510555, China

wangzl@xidian.edu.cn

Received Date: 1 October 2024
Revised Date: 25 November 2024
Accepted Date: 3 December 2024
Available Online: 3 December 2024

Figures(5)

Although aggregation-induced emission (AIE) units enabled fluorophores as rotor-based probes for advancing biomedical imaging, the quantum-mechanism through which AIEgens enhanced fluorescence via aggregation or rotor effects remains poorly understood. Herein, we elucidate the mechanisms governing the tetraphenylethene (TPE)’s function (rotor-effect or aggregation-effect) in cyanine systems by tuning the methine-chain length from Cy3 to Cy5 to Cy7. Our study shows that modulating the frontier orbital energy difference (ΔE (DA)) between the cyanine and TPE allows TPE to display AIE property in Cy3, act as a rotor in Cy5 uniquely devoid of aggregation activation, or neither in Cy7. In vitro and in vivo results further demonstrate that rotor-specific TPE-Cy5 can serve as a sensitive probe for imaging tumor rigidity. We anticipate that continued advancements in TPE rotor visualization will open new avenues for understanding the biophysical behaviors of tumors.
- Aggregation-induced emission,
- Tetraphenylethene,
- Cyanine,
- Near-infrared imaging,
- Tumor imaging
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