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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
A Label-free Technique for the Spatio-temporal Imaging of Single Cell Secretions
Published on: November 23, 2015
Self-assembled dual-state emission nanoprobe for hypochlorous acid imaging in living cells
Huijiao Song1, Yaning Wang1, Haodong Ruan2
1Key Laboratory of Theoretical Organic Chemistry and Functional Molecule of Ministry of Education, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Controllable Preparation and Functional Application of Fine Polymers, Hunan Provincial Key Lab of Advanced Materials for New Energy Storage and Conversion, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China.
Abstract:
Phenothiazine derivatives, with excellent photophysical properties and structural tunability, are commonly used as core skeletons for fluorescent probes targeting reactive oxygen species like hypochlorous acid (HClO). However, the optical characteristics of most reported phenothiazine-based probes are predominantly characterized by either aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) or aggregation-induced emission (AIE), limiting their practical biological sensing applications. Dual-state emission (DSE) designates fluorophores that maintain significant fluorescence whether in solution or in solid/aggregated states, effectively overcome these drawbacks, yet DSE-based HClO probes remain rarely reported. Herein, we rationally design and synthesize a novel phenothiazine-skeleton DSE fluorophore (PTZ-DNs), which spontaneously self-assembles into water-dispersible nanoparticles (PTZ-DNs NPs) to construct a DSE nanoprobe for HClO sensing and bioimaging. This self-assembled nanoplatform exhibits prominent performances, including favorable aqueous dispersibility, rapid HClO response (<10 s), superior long-term luminescent stability, and good biocompatibility. This work provides a design strategy to develop a DSE-based nanoprobe for detecting biologically relevant reactive species.
