From Light to Insight: Harnessing Fluorescent Probes for Intracellular Pathway Visualization

The fluorescent probes illuminate the biological systems under the microscope when excited with a certain wavelength of light. Different fluorescent probe-dependent bioimaging strategies harness a crucial contrivance for academic and R&D research, biomedical applications, disease diagnosis, and other clinical utilities. Moreover, the fluorescence bioimaging modality offers lower radiation, noninvasiveness, high spatiotemporal resolution, and user-friendly operationality compared to other imaging techniques. On these points, scrutinizing the advancements and shortcomings of fluorescent probes for visualizing intracellular pathways is highly necessary because intracellular pathways play pivotal roles in transitioning between normal and diseased states, uncovering several pharmacological and biological insights. The present review provides insight into various types of fluorescent probes for enzymatic transformation, cell division, and autophagic flux, among the most crucial intracellular pathways to address. Herein, we have thoroughly considered different types of fluorescent probes to understand their molecular design concept, photophysical outputs, and extent of fruition in bioimaging or bioimaging-dependent biomedical applications, along with their certain pitfalls and limitations.