Seeing is believing: Efficiency evaluation of multifunctional ionic-dependent AIEgens for tuberculosis

Xueni Huang; Chengshengze Chu; Chunzi Shi; Jiulong Zhang; Bo Yan; Fei Shan; Dong Wang; Yuxin Shi; Chen Peng; Ben Zhong Tang

doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122301

Seeing is believing: Efficiency evaluation of multifunctional ionic-dependent AIEgens for tuberculosis

Biomaterials. 2023 Nov:302:122301. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122301. Epub 2023 Aug 30.

Authors

Xueni Huang¹, Chengshengze Chu², Chunzi Shi³, Jiulong Zhang³, Bo Yan³, Fei Shan³, Dong Wang⁴, Yuxin Shi⁵, Chen Peng⁶, Ben Zhong Tang⁷

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Institute of Medical Imaging, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Department of Radiology, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201508, China.
² School of Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Aggregate Science and Technology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518172, China.
³ Department of Radiology, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201508, China.
⁴ Center for AIE Research, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China. Electronic address: wangd@szu.edu.cn.
⁵ Department of Radiology, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201508, China. Electronic address: shiyuxin@shaphc.org.
⁶ Department of Radiology, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201508, China. Electronic address: cpengrr@tongji.edu.cn.
⁷ School of Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Aggregate Science and Technology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518172, China. Electronic address: tangbenz@cuhk.edu.cn.

PMID: 37690379
DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122301

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), remains a significant public health threat with high rates of infection and mortality. Rapid and reliable theranostics of TB are essential to control transmission and shorten treatment duration. In this study, we report two cationic aggregation-inducing emission luminogens (AIEgens) named TTVP and TTPy, which have different functional charged moieties, to investigate their potential for simultaneous tracing and photodynamic therapy in TB infection. TTVP and TTPy exhibit intrinsic positive charges, excellent water solubility, and near-infrared (NIR) emission. Based on ionic-function relationships, TTVP, with more positive charges, demonstrates a stronger binding affinity to Mycobacterium marinum (M.m), (a close genetic relative of Mtb), compared to TTPy. Both TTVP and TTPy exhibit high efficiency in generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) when exposed to white light irradiation, enabling effective photodynamic killing of M.m in vitro. Additionally, we achieved long-term, real-time, noninvasive, continuous tracing, and evaluated therapeutic performance in vivo. Notably, TTVP outperformed TTPy in intracellular killing of M.m, suggesting a possible correlation between the labeling and photodynamic killing abilities of AIEgens. These findings provide valuable insights and a design basis for cationic AIEgens in TB research, offering potential advancements in TB theranostics.

Keywords: Aggregation-induced emission; Ionic; Phagocytosis tracking; Photodynamic therapy; Tuberculosis.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Humans
Light
Mycobacterium tuberculosis*
Photochemotherapy*
Reactive Oxygen Species
Tuberculosis* / diagnostic imaging
Tuberculosis* / drug therapy
Tuberculosis* / microbiology

Substances

Reactive Oxygen Species