Leung Chris W T, Hong Yuning, Tang Ben Zhong
Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China,
Methods Mol Biol. 2015;1208:21-7. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1441-8_2.
Tracking the dynamics of mitochondrial morphology has attracted much research interest because of its involvement in early stage apoptosis and degenerative conditions. To follow this process, highly specific and photostable fluorescent probes are in demand. Commercially available mitochondria trackers, however, suffer from poor photostability. To overcome this limitation, we have designed and synthesized a fluorescent agent, tetraphenylethene-triphenylphosphonium (TPE-TPP), for mitochondrial imaging. Inherent from the mitochondrial-targeting ability of TPP groups and the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics of the TPE core, TPE-TPP possesses high specificity to mitochondria, superior photostability, and appreciable tolerance to environmental change, allowing imaging and tracking of the mitochondrial morphological changes in a long period of time.
由于线粒体形态动力学与早期细胞凋亡及退行性疾病相关，对其进行追踪已引起了广泛的研究兴趣。为了监测这一过程，需要高特异性和光稳定性的荧光探针。然而，市售的线粒体追踪剂光稳定性较差。为克服这一局限，我们设计并合成了一种用于线粒体成像的荧光剂——四苯基乙烯-三苯基鏻（TPE-TPP）。基于TPP基团的线粒体靶向能力以及TPE核心的聚集诱导发光（AIE）特性，TPE-TPP对线粒体具有高特异性、卓越的光稳定性以及对环境变化的可观耐受性，能够长时间成像和追踪线粒体形态变化。
