A high brightness red fluorescent probe (S-BODIPY) has been developed for the sensitive and specific imaging of HClO/ClO − in vitro and in vivo. This probe exhibits some distinctive features such as excellent resistance to photobleaching, a high fluorescence brightness, high selectivity, as well as a good biocompatibility. Upon oxidation of the thioether group into sulfoxide, the probe showed a noticeable ratiometric fluorescence response toward ClO − with fast response (within 30 s) and a low detection limit (59 nM). The probe demonstrated the successful imaging of exogenous and endogenous HClO/ClO − in living HeLa cells, zebrafish, and mice with high signal-to-noise ratios. S-BODIPY allows for the real-time monitoring the level of ClO − in living cells by ratiometric fluorescence imaging, opening up exciting prospects to develop red and even near-infrared BODIPYs with high brightness and good photostability for in vivo imaging.

Theranostic systems by integrating the tumor imaging and tumor therapeutic capabilities into one platform have attracted numerous attentions from worldwide researchers. Despite the great developments, their clinical application is still in the nascent stage, owing to the unsatisfied imaging quality and limited therapeutic efficacy. Fortunately, the emerging of aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) molecules with unique fluorescence property offers an opportunity to solve the imaging problem. Besides, further utilizing the tumor microenvironments and external triggers to design the stimuli‐responsive imaging‐guided therapy could enhance the therapeutic efficacy and reduce the side effects. In this review, the advancements in stimuli‐responsive theranostic systems with AIE characteristics are summarized. Theranostic systems are first classified according to their treatment modes, and then subdivided based on various stimuli, including pH, redox, enzyme, and light. In each section, the design strategies and application examples are introduced. At last, the current state of the art, limitations, as well as prospects are also discussed.

A colorimetric and fluorescent probe ER-ClO was developed to detect cellular hypochlorite with high selectivity and sensitivity.

We first report several bright solid-state red-emissive BODIPYs with high fluorescence quantum yields for unusual high-contrast mechanohypsochromism.

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