Li Jin-Yan, Jin Pian, Zhao Xiao-Bo, Shi Yan-Ping
Key Laboratory for Natural Medicine of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou, 730000, People's Republic of China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China.
Key Laboratory for Natural Medicine of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou, 730000, People's Republic of China.
Talanta. 2025 Jul 24;297(Pt A):128632. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2025.128632.
Tumor is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, with hypoxia and elevated endogenous formaldehyde (FA) identified as two critical features of tumor microenvironment that act synergistically to promote tumor progression. Therefore, precise imaging of both hypoxia and FA in vivo is of significance for precise tumor detection. However, the development of dual-responsive probes for tumor hypoxia and endogenous FA remains a significant challenge. Herein, we developed a novel "AND" logic probe Cy-MB@F4C4A that could respond to FA and hypoxia simultaneously. A FA-responsive probe, Cy-MB, was pre-encapsulated within a hypoxia-responsive azocalixarene F4C4A via simple noncovalent strategy to construct "AND" logic probe Cy-MB@F4C4A. The fluorescence signal of the "AND" logic probe Cy-MB@F4C4A is only activated in the presence of both tumor hypoxia and endogenous FA. Therefore, the probe Cy-MB@F4C4A demonstrates remarkable stability owing to its dual-response capability. Furthermore, it demonstrates high selectivity and sensitivity for FA with a detection limit at 11.5 μM under hypoxic conditions, rendering it suitable for detection and imaging in biological systems. More importantly, "AND" logic probe Cy-MB@F4C4A could be successfully applied for accurate tumor imaging in vitro and in vivo. We anticipate that this "AND" logic probe will offer significant potential for cancer theranostic.
肿瘤是全球主要的死亡原因，缺氧和内源性甲醛（FA）升高被确定为肿瘤微环境的两个关键特征，它们协同作用促进肿瘤进展。因此，体内缺氧和FA的精确成像对于精确的肿瘤检测具有重要意义。然而，开发用于肿瘤缺氧和内源性FA的双响应探针仍然是一个重大挑战。在此，我们开发了一种新型的“与”逻辑探针Cy-MB@F4C4A，它可以同时对FA和缺氧做出响应。通过简单的非共价策略，将FA响应探针Cy-MB预先封装在缺氧响应性偶氮杯芳烃F4C4A中，构建“与”逻辑探针Cy-MB@F4C4A。“与”逻辑探针Cy-MB@F4C4A的荧光信号仅在肿瘤缺氧和内源性FA同时存在时被激活。因此，探针Cy-MB@F4C4A由于其双响应能力而表现出显著的稳定性。此外，它在缺氧条件下对FA具有高选择性和灵敏度，检测限为11.5 μM，适用于生物系统中的检测和成像。更重要的是，“与”逻辑探针Cy-MB@F4C4A可以成功应用于体外和体内的精确肿瘤成像。我们预计这种“与”逻辑探针将为癌症诊疗提供巨大潜力。
