Imaging Macrophage Phagocytosis Using AIE Luminogen-Labeled E. coli.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Cell Biology
• Biomedical Imaging

Background:

• Phagocytosis is a critical cellular process for engulfing pathogens.
• Understanding bacterial internalization is vital for infectious disease research and therapy development.
• Current tools for studying bacterial phagocytosis are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the feasibility of using an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) probe for bacteria labeling and imaging.
• To monitor pH changes in the microenvironment of bacteria during phagocytosis.
• To visualize the real-time process of bacterial entry into macrophages and intravacuolar acidification.

Main Methods:

• Development and application of an environmentally sensitive AIE probe for bacteria.
• Labeling bacteria with the AIE probe.
• Tracking fluorescence variations to monitor microenvironmental pH.
• Imaging bacteria uptake by macrophage cells.

Main Results:

• The AIE probe successfully labeled bacteria for imaging.
• Fluorescence changes of the probe correlated with pH variations.
• The probe enabled real-time visualization of bacterial phagocytosis.
• Intravacuolar acidification during bacterial uptake was successfully monitored.

Conclusions:

• Environmentally sensitive AIE probes are effective tools for bacteria labeling and imaging.
• This method allows real-time monitoring of phagocytosis and microenvironmental pH changes.
• The developed probe offers a promising approach for studying infectious diseases and developing new therapies.