Shen Hanchen, Xu Changhuo, Ye Ruquan, Liu Tzu-Ming, Zhang Jianyu, Kwok Ryan T K, Lam Jacky W Y, Guo Zhihong, Sun Jianwei, Tang Ben Zhong
Department of Chemistry Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction Division of Life Science State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong 999077 China.
MOE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology Faculty of Health Sciences University of Macau Macao 999078 China.
Small Sci. 2023 Jul 21;3(9):2300052. doi: 10.1002/smsc.202300052. eCollection 2023 Sep.
The development of water-soluble aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) emitting in the near-infrared (NIR) window holds promise for efficient biomedical applications. Nevertheless, synthesizing water-soluble counterparts of NIR AIEgens presents difficulties due to their intrinsic hydrophobic properties. To address this issue, researchers have developed various molecular design strategies to improve the water solubility of NIR AIEgens. The integration of hydrophilic groups and targeting moieties is a crucial aspect of achieving precise phototheranostics. Here, diverse approaches to attain water-soluble NIR AIEgens for biomedical applications are presented, and three commonly used strategies that involve decorating NIR AIEgens with positively or negatively charged groups, hydrophilic chains, and bioactive moieties are elaborated. These rational design strategies are believed to provide solutions for enhancing the water solubility and biological performance of NIR AIEgens in a single action. The remaining challenges and opportunities in this field are also discussed. The aim is to provide new insights into the design of water-soluble NIR AIEgens and inspire more researchers to make significant contributions to this promising research area.
开发在近红外（NIR）窗口发射的水溶性聚集诱导发光 luminogens（AIEgens）在高效生物医学应用方面具有前景。然而，由于其固有的疏水性质，合成 NIR AIEgens 的水溶性类似物存在困难。为了解决这个问题，研究人员已经开发了各种分子设计策略来提高 NIR AIEgens 的水溶性。亲水性基团和靶向部分的整合是实现精确光诊疗的关键方面。在此，介绍了用于生物医学应用获得水溶性 NIR AIEgens 的多种方法，并阐述了三种常用策略，这些策略涉及用带正电或负电的基团、亲水性链和生物活性部分修饰 NIR AIEgens。这些合理的设计策略被认为能在单一行动中为提高 NIR AIEgens 的水溶性和生物学性能提供解决方案。还讨论了该领域剩余的挑战和机遇。目的是为水溶性 NIR AIEgens 的设计提供新见解，并激励更多研究人员为这个有前景的研究领域做出重大贡献。
