Optically superior fluorescent probes for selective imaging of cells, tumors, and reactive chemical species

Org Biomol Chem. 2021 Jun 28;19(24):5208-5236. doi: 10.1039/d1ob00509j. Epub 2021 May 26.

Abstract

Fluorescent chemical probes have become powerful tools to study biological events in living cells. They provide a great opportunity to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the physiological and biochemical properties of living cells in real time. The ability of researchers to manipulate these probes for a desired specific purpose has turned many heads in the scientific community. Despite a slow start, fluorescent probe research has seen exponential growth over the last decade in the world. This change required some adventurous and creative scientists from different fields-like biology, medicine, and chemistry-to come together to facilitate the constant expansion of this field. This review article introduces some fundamental concepts related to fluorescent probe designing and development. It also summarizes various fluorescent probes with superior optical properties used in fields like cell biology, cellular imaging, medical research, and cancer diagnosis. It is hoped that this article will encourage more young and creative scientists to contribute their talents to this field.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemical synthesis
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry*
  • Humans
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
  • Neurons / cytology*
  • Optical Imaging*

Substances

  • Fluorescent Dyes