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Updated: Mar 21, 2026
Live-cell Imaging of Lysosomal Membrane Permeabilization During Necroptosis
Published on: November 14, 2025
A fluorescent turn-on probe for visualizing lysosomes in hypoxic tumor cells
Sihang Luo1, Yingchao Liu2, Feiyi Wang3
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, P. R. China and Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Institute of Fine Chemicals, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China. zhaocchang@ecust.edu.cn.
Researchers developed a novel fluorescent probe that specifically targets lysosomes in hypoxic cancer cells. Azoreductase activation leads to significant fluorescence enhancement, enabling clear imaging of these cellular structures in low-oxygen tumor environments.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Molecular Imaging
- Cancer Biology
Background:
- Hypoxic tumor microenvironments pose challenges for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
- Lysosomes are crucial organelles involved in cellular degradation and are implicated in cancer progression.
- Developing targeted imaging probes for hypoxic cancer cells is essential for effective therapeutic strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize a novel fluorescent probe for lysosome-specific targeting in hypoxic tumor cells.
- To investigate the mechanism of fluorescence activation by azoreductase under hypoxic conditions.
- To evaluate the probe's efficacy for specific imaging of lysosomes in hypoxic cancer models.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of a novel azoreductase-activatable fluorescent probe.
- In vitro studies to assess probe activation and fluorescence enhancement under hypoxia.
- Cellular imaging experiments using cancer cell lines under hypoxic conditions.
- Lysosome colocalization studies to confirm specific targeting.
Main Results:
- The developed fluorescent probe demonstrated high specificity for lysosome targeting.
- Azoreductase enzyme present in hypoxic cells triggered a significant enhancement in fluorescence signal.
- The probe enabled clear and specific imaging of lysosomes within hypoxic cancer cells.
- Minimal background fluorescence was observed in normoxic conditions.
Conclusions:
- The novel fluorescent probe effectively targets lysosomes in hypoxic tumor cells.
- Azoreductase-mediated fluorescence enhancement provides a mechanism for specific imaging of hypoxic cancer lysosomes.
- This probe holds potential for advancing diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in oncology.
