Biomarker‐Responsive Fluorescent Probes for In‐Vivo Imaging of Liver Injury

Abstract

Liver injury-related diseases have aroused widespread concern due to their extreme unpredictability, acute onset, and severe consequences. Nowadays, the clinical prediction and assessment of liver injury mainly focus on histopathological and serological approaches, which require a tedious process and sometimes invasive biopsy. Over the past decades, fluorescence imaging techniques have emerged for the diagnosis of diseases owing to their noninvasiveness, high fidelity and ease of operation. With regard to liver injury, fluorescent probes have been delicately designed to respond to a variety of endogenous biomolecules to precisely offer comprehensive information about the lesion site. Herein, we make a brief summary and discussion about the design strategies and applications of recently reported fluorescent biosensors responsive to a series of biomarkers involved in liver injury. The potential prospects and remaining challenges are also discussed to promote the progression in this field.

Mitochondria-Targetable Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe for Visualization of Hydrogen Peroxide in Lung Injury, Liver Injury, and Tumor Models

“…Nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) is another prevalent liver metabolic disorder disease that involves a series of pathological processes, including steatohepatitis, liver cirrhosis oxidative stress, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Accumulating proofs reveal that oxidative stress is an important mechanism causing NAFL . Considering that H 2 O 2 was the main ROS that induces oxidative injury, we then attempted to apply HCy-H 2 O 2 to distinguish NAFL from healthy liver in vivo .…”

“…Accumulating proofs reveal that oxidative stress is an important mechanism causing NAFL. 43 Considering that H 2 O 2 was the main ROS that induces oxidative injury, we then attempted to apply HCy-H 2 O 2 to distinguish NAFL from healthy liver in vivo. The NAFL model was established by feeding mice with high-fat forage and intraperitoneal injection of dexamethasone, whereas the control mice were given a normal diet and intraperitoneal injection of saline.…”

Activatable fluorescent probes for early diagnosis and evaluation of liver injury

“…The liver is a multi-functional organ, and one of its important roles is detoxification, which plays a central role in the conversion of nutrients and the removal of chemicals and drugs. 1 Since modern technology is penetrating more deeply into people's lives, the number of factors triggering liver injury is rising, and the chance of people developing liver injury is also increasing greatly. It is of great significance to develop convenient, accurate and reliable methods for monitoring the physiological and pathological processes of the liver under different conditions.…”

A Highly Sensitive and Selective Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe for Imaging Peroxynitrite in Living Cells and Drug-Induced Liver Injury Mice

“…Compared to traditional methods, fluorescence-based techniques − have attracted great attention for ONOO – detection and imaging due to their high sensitivity, the ability to monitor analytes in real time, and noninvasiveness. − However, many fluorescent probes for ONOO – developed are small in Stokes shift, resulting in a high fluorescence inner filter effect and low fluorescence contrast. , Furthermore, the sensing mechanisms of the probes developed for ONOO – are generally based on the strong oxidative property of ONOO – ; this causes other reactive species to easily interfere with the sensing. , Finally, the emission wavelength of many of the ONOO – fluorescent probes reported is in the visible region, compromising the in vivo diagnostic potential for DILI. , …”