Mitochondria-Targeted Fluorescent Nanoparticles with Large Stokes Shift for Long-Term BioImaging

Xiao Li; Tao Zhang; Xuebo Diao; Yu Li; Yue Su; Jiapei Yang; Zibo Shang; Shuai Liu; Jia Zhou; Guolin Li; Huirong Chi

doi:10.3390/molecules28093962

Mitochondria-Targeted Fluorescent Nanoparticles with Large Stokes Shift for Long-Term BioImaging

Molecules. 2023 May 8;28(9):3962. doi: 10.3390/molecules28093962.

Authors

Xiao Li¹, Tao Zhang¹, Xuebo Diao², Yu Li³, Yue Su⁴, Jiapei Yang⁴, Zibo Shang⁵, Shuai Liu¹, Jia Zhou⁶, Guolin Li^{1

7}, Huirong Chi⁷

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Microecology-Immune Regulatory Network and Related Diseases, School of Basic Medicine, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi 154000, China.
² Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 246 Xuefu Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150081, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China.
⁴ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China.
⁵ Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, 2329 West Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
⁶ Department of Radiology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200233, China.
⁷ Department of Stomatology, Shanghai Eighth Peoples Hospital, 8 Caobao Road, Shanghai 200000, China.

Abstract

Mitochondria (MITO) play a significant role in various physiological processes and are a key organelle associated with different human diseases including cancer, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, etc. Thus, detecting the activity of MITO in real time is becoming more and more important. Herein, a novel class of amphiphilic aggregation-induced emission (AIE) active probe fluorescence (AC-QC nanoparticles) based on a quinoxalinone scaffold was developed for imaging MITO. AC-QC nanoparticles possess an excellent ability to monitor MITO in real-time. This probe demonstrated the following advantages: (1) lower cytotoxicity; (2) superior photostability; and (3) good performance in long-term imaging in vitro. Each result of these indicates that self-assembled AC-QC nanoparticles can be used as effective and promising MITO-targeted fluorescent probes.

Keywords: AIE-active fluorescent probe; MITO targeted; long-term imaging; nanoparticle; real-time.

MeSH terms

Fluorescence
Fluorescent Dyes / pharmacology
Humans
Mitochondria
Nanoparticles*
Neoplasms*

Substances

Fluorescent Dyes

Grants and funding

This research was funded by [Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai] grant number [19ZR1438300], [Sub project of the Star of Jiaotong University Program of Shanghai Jiaotong University] grant number [21X010301644], [The Star of Jiaotong University Program of Shanghai Jiaotong University] grant number [YG2021QN95], [National Natural Science Foundation of China] grant number [21875134], [Joint Construction Agreement between Shanghai Jiaotong University and Zhejiang Anji Life Health Joint Research Center (preparatory)] grant number [20H100000586], [Shanghai Jiaotong University—Zhejiang Anji Life Health Joint Research Center (preparatory) Joint Construction Agreement Sub-project II] grant number [SA1100624], [The Introduction of Talent Start-up Funds of Shanghai Eighth Peoples Hospital], [International Postdoctoral Exchange Fellowship Program] grant number [YJ20210136].