A fluorescent probe to detect thiol-containing amino acids in solid tumors

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Oncology

Background:

• Early cancer detection is crucial for effective treatment and improved patient survival.
• Intracellular thiol levels, particularly glutathione (GSH), are altered in cancer cells.
• Existing detection methods may suffer from interference and lack sensitivity in living systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a highly sensitive ratiometric fluorescent probe for detecting thiol-containing amino acids.
• To assess the probe's ability to differentiate between cancerous and normal cells.
• To evaluate the probe for in vivo tumor detection and quantitative analysis of GSH.

Main Methods:

• Development of a ratiometric fluorescent probe (emission ratio of yellow at 550 nm to blue at 496 nm).
• Detection of intracellular thiol levels in living human carcinoma and normal cells.
• Measurement of GSH in tumor xenograft mouse tissues and blood.
• Quantitative analysis of GSH using the probe's emission intensity ratio.

Main Results:

• The probe successfully detected thiol-containing amino acids with high sensitivity.
• It effectively discriminated between human carcinoma and normal cells by measuring intracellular thiols (P < 0.05).
• The probe identified growing tumors by measuring GSH in tissues and blood, enabling quantitative analysis.

Conclusions:

• The developed fluorescent probe is a sensitive tool for detecting thiol-containing amino acids.
• It shows significant potential for early cancer diagnosis and prognosis by measuring intracellular GSH levels.
• The probe offers a promising, simple, and broadly applicable method for clinical use.