Enzyme-Activatable Fluorogenic Probes: Design Strategies, Biomedical Applications, and Future Perspectives

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Chemical Biology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Enzymes regulate critical cellular functions; their dysregulation is linked to various diseases.
• Accurate monitoring of enzyme activity is vital for understanding biological processes and disease pathology.
• Enzyme-activatable fluorogenic probes (EAFPs) have emerged as powerful tools for real-time enzyme activity assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in enzyme-activatable fluorogenic probes (EAFPs).
• To discuss the fundamental design principles, molecular engineering, and sensing mechanisms of EAFPs.
• To highlight the diverse biomedical applications and future potential of EAFPs in research and clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• Review and synthesis of current literature on EAFPs.
• Analysis of molecular engineering strategies and sensing mechanisms.
• Categorization of EAFPs based on target enzymes and applications.

Main Results:

• Detailed introduction to the design strategies and sensing mechanisms of EAFPs.
• Presentation of cutting-edge EAFPs with emphasis on structural features and recognition principles.
• Illustration of EAFP utility in biomarker imaging, disease diagnosis, drug screening, and therapeutic testing.

Conclusions:

• EAFPs represent a versatile platform for high-spatiotemporal resolution imaging and multifunctional biosensing.
• The development of high-performance EAFPs holds significant promise for advancing both fundamental biological research and translational medicine.
• Further innovation in EAFP design is anticipated to address existing challenges and expand application scenarios.