Aggregation-induced emission materials for protein fibrils imaging

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Molecular Biology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Protein fibrillation is implicated in severe diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders.
• Current fluorescence probes, like thioflavin-T, have limitations such as aggregation-caused quenching and inability to detect early-stage oligomers.
• Oligomers and prefibrillar species are increasingly recognized as more cytotoxic than mature fibrils, highlighting the need for early detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) probes for protein fibril imaging.
• To highlight the advantages of AIE probes over conventional methods for studying amyloidosis.
• To emphasize the potential of AIE probes in translational research for early diagnosis and treatment.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature on AIE probes in the context of protein fibrillation and amyloidosis.
• Analysis of AIE probe properties, including their application in staining amyloid fibrils, monitoring kinetics, and detecting early conformers.
• Exploration of AIE probe modifications for advanced imaging techniques (NIR, theranostics, super-resolution).

Main Results:

• AIE probes demonstrate significant potential in staining various amyloid fibrils and monitoring fibrillation kinetics.
• These probes can effectively detect early-stage conformers, which are crucial for understanding disease mechanisms.
• AIE probes exhibit desirable features like resistance to aggregation-caused quenching and can be engineered for advanced applications.

Conclusions:

• AIE probes represent a significant advancement in amyloid imaging, overcoming limitations of traditional probes.
• Their ability to detect early-stage species and their versatility make them invaluable tools for studying amyloidosis.
• AIE probes hold immense promise for advancing translational research in neurodegenerative diseases and other amyloid-related disorders.