Selective Visualization of Tumor Cell Membranes and Tumors with a Viscosity-Sensitive Plasma Membrane Probe

Abstract

Cancer is a worldwide health problem. Revealing the changes in the microenvironment after cell carcinogenesis is helpful to understand cancer and develop sensitive methods for cancer diagnosis. We developed herein a viscosity-responsive plasma membrane probe (TPA-S) that was successfully used to probe the viscosity difference between normal and tumor cell plasma membranes for the first time. The probe shows AIE properties with good water solubility, significant near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence responses to viscosity with high sensitivity, and excellent cell membrane location performance. With these features, our experiments showed that TPA-S could selectively visualize cancer cell plasma membranes, revealing that the plasma membrane of tumor cells is more viscous than that of normal cells. In addition, TPA-S was successfully applied to specifically light up tumors. Altogether, this work explored the changes of cell membrane viscosity after canceration, provided a new method for selective visualization of tumor cells, and opened up a new approach for cancer diagnosis.

Rational Design of Self-Reporting Photosensitizers for Cell Membrane-Targeted Photodynamic Therapy

“…Recently, relevant studies revealed that plasma membrane of cancer cells exhibited higher viscosity than that of normal cells . In light of this, fluorescence of membrane in various cells was examined upon incubation with MRMP-1/2 , aiming to evaluate whether MRMP-1/2 could indicate differences in membrane viscosity.…”

“…Recently, relevant studies revealed that plasma membrane of cancer cells exhibited higher viscosity than that of normal cells. 35 In light of this, fluorescence of membrane in various cells was examined upon incubation with MRMP-1/2, aiming to evaluate whether MRMP-1/2 could indicate differences in membrane viscosity. As depicted in Figure 3, fluorescence of MRMP-1/2 was located around cell membrane in all cells, demonstrating the strong potential of MRMP-1/2 for membrane staining.…”

A viscosity-sensitive probe based on the structure of indole salt

“…The ER, lysosomes and mitochondria play crucial roles in cell growth, metabolism, genetic differentiation and apoptosis. 13,14 Studies have shown that the increased viscosity of these organelles is often associated with tumors, aging, Alzheimer's disease and neurodegenerative disorders. 15–17 Such changes often occur concurrently across different organelles.…”

Two-Photon-Responsive “TICT + AIE” Active Naphthyridine-BF2 Photoremovable Protecting Group: Application for Specific Staining and Killing of Cancer Cells

“…The same combination of TICT + AIE has also been recently utilized as an efficient technique to observe notable changes in the emission in a polar and viscous medium. − In the biological microenvironment, polarity and viscosity play crucial roles in recognizing the cancer cell from a normal cell. The integrated feature of TICT and AIE demonstrated NIR light emission with excellent resolution in this polar and viscous medium, which is characteristic of cancer cells that generally exhibit higher viscosity than normal cells. , …”