Molecular aggregates are receiving tremendous attention, demonstrating immense potential for biomedical applications in vitro and in vivo. For instance, the molecular aggregates of conventional fluorophores influence the electronic excitation states of the aggregates, causing characteristic photophysical property changes. A fundamental understanding of this classical relationship between molecular aggregate structures and photophysics has allowed for innovative biological applications. The chemical characteristics of drug molecules generally trigger the formation of colloidal aggregates, and this is considered detrimental to the drug discovery process. Furthermore, nano-sized supramolecular aggregates have been used in biomedical imaging and therapy owing to their optimal properties for in vivo utility, including enhanced cell permeability, passive tumor targeting, and convenient surface engineering. Herein, we provide an overview of the recent trends in molecular aggregates for biomedical applications. The changes in photophysical properties of conventional fluorophores and their biological applications are discussed, followed by the effects of conventional drug molecule-aggregates on drug discovery and therapeutics development. Recent trends in the investigation of biologically important analytes with aggregation-induced emission are discussed for conventional and unconventional fluorophores. Lastly, we discuss nano-sized supramolecular aggregates used in imaging and therapeutic purposes, with a focus on in vivo utilization.
We introduce a new approach to biotin-streptavidin assays based on a molecular tripod which consists of biotin, a fluorophore, and a quencher. The interaction between streptavidin and molecular tripods perturbs the ground-state quencher-fluorophore dimeric conformation in the absence of streptavidin and diminishes the intrinsic self-quenching of a quencher-fluorophore pair. The emission intensity of the molecular tripods plus streptavidin is 3.5-5.2 times that of molecular tripods in the absence of streptavidin.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.