An increase in DNA G-quadruplex formation in acute myelocytic leukemia is detected by a supramolecular probe

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a common acute leukemia in both adults and children, with poor early detection and diagnosis. Therefore, identifying new indicators for AML detection is significant for effective treatment. Here, we developed a supramolecular probe that exhibits high specificity and sensitivity to G-quadruplex structures in physiological buffer solution, chromosomes, and cells. Using this probe, we tested the DNA extracted from different types of cells and found that the DNA extracted from human acute myeloid leukemia cells HL-60 and KG-1 enhanced the probe fluorescence more significantly than the DNA extracted from other cells. This phenomenon may be related to a large number of G-quadruplexes in acute myeloid leukemia cells, implicating that G-quadruplex levels may be a potential indicator for the detection of acute myeloid leukemia.