The activatable off-on near-infrared QCy7-based fluorogenic probes have emerged as powerful modalities for detecting and monitoring biological analytes and understanding their biological processes in cells and organisms. The use of biomarker-activated QCy7-based probes enables simple synthesis, minimum photo-damage to biological samples, and minimum background interference from biological systems. In this minireview, we aim to provide a rigorous but concise overview of activatable QCy7-based fluorogenic probes by reporting the significant progress made in recent years. The design strategies and the main applications of accurate detection and imaging of disease-related biomarkers (including ROS/RSS, enzymes, metal ions, and other related species) were reasonably analyzed and discussed. The potential challenges and prospects of activatable QCy7-based fluorogenic probes are also emphasized to further advance the development of new methods for biomarker detection and bioimaging.
Keywords: QCy7; activatable probes; bioimaging; biomarkers; fluorogenic probes.
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