Luminescent molecule-based bioimaging system is widely used for precise localization and distinction of cancer/tumor cells. Luminescent lanthanide (Ln(III)) complexes offer long-lived (sub-millisecond time scale) and sharp (FWHM <10 nm) emission, arising from the forbidden 4f-4f electronic transitions. Luminescent Ln(III) complex-based bioimaging has emerged as a promising option for both in vitro and in vivo visualizations. In this mini-review, the historical development and recent significant progress of luminescent Ln(III) probes for bioapplications are introduced. The recent studies are mainly focused on three points: (i) the structural modifications of Ln(III) complexes in both macrocyclic and small ligands, (ii) the acquirement of high resolution luminescence images of cancer/tumor cells and (iii) the constructions of ratiometric biosensors. Furthermore, our recent study is explained as a new Cancer GPS (cancer grade probing for determining tumor grade through photophysical property analyses of intracellular Eu(III) complex.
Keywords: Bioimaging; Biosensing; Coordination chemistry; Lanthanide complexes; luminescence properties.
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