Recent Advances of Fluorescence Probes for Imaging of Ferroptosis Process

Abstract

Ferroptosis is an iron−dependent form of regulated cell death. It has attracted more and more research interests since it was found because of its potential physiological and pathological roles. In recent years, many efforts have been made for the developments and applications of selective fluorescence probes for real−time and in situ tracking of bioactive species during ferroptosis process, which is necessary and significant to further study the modulation mechanisms and pathological functions of ferroptosis. In this review, we will focus on summarizing the newly developed fluorescence probes that have been applied for ferroptosis imaging in the recent years, and comprehensively discussing their design strategies, including the probes for iron, reactive oxygen species, biothiols and intracellular microenvironmental factors.

Tracking endoplasmic reticulum viscosity during ferroptosis and autophagy using a molecular rotor probe

“…2 Ferroptosis has a crucial regulatory role in the progression of many diseases and has become an important research topic for the treatment and prognosis improvement of related diseases. 3,4 In ferroptosis, the intracellular glutathione (GSH) is depleted and decreases the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPX4). Therefore, lipid peroxides are unable to be metabolized by the GPX4-catalyzed reduction reaction, whereas Fe 2+ continuously oxidizes lipids in a Fenton-like manner, resulting in a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) promoting ferroptosis.…”

Improved lipophilic probe for visualizing lipid droplets in erastin-induced ferroptosis

“…The accumulation of lipid per-oxides also alters the viscosity of LDs, and various fluorophores have been utilized to visualize this viscosity-dependent process. [8][9][10][11][12] The design strategy often involves a donor-π-acceptor architecture, which results in polarity-dependent solvatochromic emission. The presence of rotatable bonds further enhances the emission in higher viscosity media, owing to the restricted rotation and reduced non-radiative processes, making them ideal for investigating multiple targeted cellular processes.…”

Construction and Application of a New Polarity‐Sensitive Fluorescent Probe Based on the Excited‐State Intramolecular Proton Transfer Mechanism

“…At present, there are many methods for detection and analysis, such as electrochemical methods, chromatography, mass spectrometry, optical analysis, etc. Among them, fluorescence imaging method has become one of the essential methods for detection and analysis because of its unique advantages such as high sensitivity, good selectivity, simple operation and spatio‐temporal resolvability [6–15] . In recent years, fluorescence imaging technology has been widely used for visual imaging of various biologically active species in various physiological and pathological models as well as for diagnostic and therapeutic studies, which has greatly contributed to the biological understanding of major diseases [16–27] .…”

“…Among them, fluorescence imaging method has become one of the essential methods for detection and analysis because of its unique advantages such as high sensitivity, good selectivity, simple operation and spatio-temporal resolvability. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] In recent years, fluorescence imaging technology has been widely used for visual imaging of various biologically active species in various physiological and pathological models as well as for diagnostic and therapeutic studies, which has greatly contributed to the biological understanding of major diseases. [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] Fluorescence imaging is based on the development and construction of fluorescent probes with excellent properties that enable the detection of the species to be measured by changes in fluorescence signal.…”