Ji Hye Han

Hepatocyte-targeting single galactose-appended naphthalimide: A tool for intracellular thiol imaging in vivo

We present the design, synthesis, spectroscopic properties, and biological evaluation of a single galactose-appended naphthalimide (1). Probe 1 is a multifunctional molecule that incorporates a thiol-specific cleavable disulfide bond, a masked phthalamide fluorophore, and a single galactose moiety as a hepatocyte-targeting unit. It constitutes a new type of targetable ligand for hepatic thiol imaging in living cells and animals. Confocal microscopic imaging experiments reveal that 1, but not the galactose-free control system 2, is preferentially taken up by HepG2 cells through galactose-targeted, ASGP-R-mediated endocytosis. Probe 1 displays a fluorescence emission feature at 540 nm that is induced by exposure to free endogenous thiols, most notably GSH. The liver-specificity of 1 was confirmed in vivo via use of a rat model. The potential utility of this probe in indicating pathogenic states and as a possible screening tool for agents that can manipulate oxidative stress was demonstrated in experiments wherein palmitate was used to induce lipotoxicity in HepG2 cells.

Direct Fluorescence Monitoring of the Delivery and Cellular Uptake of a Cancer-Targeted RGD Peptide-Appended Naphthalimide Theragnostic Prodrug

Presented here is a multicomponent synthetic strategy that allows for the direct, fluorescence-based monitoring of the targeted cellular uptake and release of a conjugated therapeutic agent. Specifically, we report here the design, synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, and preliminary in vitro biological evaluation of a RGD peptide-appended naphthalimide pro-CPT (compound 1). Compound 1 is a multifunctional molecule composed of a disulfide bond as a cleavable linker, a naphthalimide moiety as a fluorescent reporter, an RGD cyclic peptide as a cancer-targeting unit, and camptothecin (CPT) as a model active agent. Upon reaction with free thiols in aqueous media at pH 7.4, disulfide cleavage occurs. This leads to release of the free CPT active agent, as well as the production of a red-shifted fluorescence emission (λ(max) = 535 nm). Confocal microscopic experiments reveal that 1 is preferentially taken up by U87 cells over C6 cells. On the basis of competition experiments involving okadaic acid, an inhibitor of endocytosis, it is concluded that uptake takes place via RGD-dependent endocytosis mechanisms. In U87 cells, the active CPT payload is released within the endoplasmic reticulum, as inferred from fluorescence-based colocalization studies using a known endoplasmic reticulum-selective dye. The present drug delivery system (DDS) could represent a new approach to so-called theragnostic agent development, wherein both a therapeutic effect and drug uptake-related imaging information are produced and can be readily monitored at the subcellular level. In due course, the strategy embodied in conjugate 1 could allow for more precise monitoring of dosage levels, as well as an improved understanding of cellular uptake and release mechanisms.

Mitochondria-Immobilized pH-Sensitive Off–On Fluorescent Probe

We report here a mitochondria-targetable pH-sensitive probe that allows for a quantitative measurement of mitochondrial pH changes, as well as the real-time monitoring of pH-related physiological effects in live cells. This system consists of a piperazine-linked naphthalimide as a fluorescence off–on signaling unit, a cationic triphenylphosphonium group for mitochondrial targeting, and a reactive benzyl chloride subunit for mitochondrial fixation. It operates well in a mitochondrial environment within whole cells and displays a desirable off–on fluorescence response to mitochondrial acidification. Moreover, this probe allows for the monitoring of impaired mitochondria undergoing mitophagic elimination as the result of nutrient starvation. It thus allows for the monitoring of the organelle-specific dynamics associated with the conversion between physiological and pathological states.

Gemcitabine–coumarin–biotin conjugates: a target specific theranostic anticancer prodrug

We present here, the design, synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, and in vitro biological assessment of a gemcitabine-coumarin-biotin conjugate (5). Probe 5 is a multifunctional molecule composed of a thiol-specific cleavable disulfide bond, a coumarin moiety as a fluorescent reporter, gemcitabine (GMC) as a model active drug, and biotin as a cancer-targeting unit. Upon addition of free thiols that are relatively abundant in tumor cells, disulfide bond cleavage occurs as well as active drug GMC release and concomitantly fluorescence intensity increases. Confocal microscopic experiments reveal that 5 is preferentially taken up by A549 cells rather than WI38 cells. Fluorescence-based colocalization studies using lysosome- and endoplasmic reticulum-selective dyes suggest that thiol-induced disulfide cleavage of 5 occur in the lysosome possibly via receptor-mediated endocytosis. The present drug delivery system is a new theranostic agent, wherein both a therapeutic effect and drug uptake can be readily monitored at the subcellular level by two photon fluorescence imaging.

Folate-based near-infrared fluorescent theranostic gemcitabine delivery.

A series of heptamethine cyanine (1-3) derivatives bearing a carbamate ethyl disulfide group and gemcitabine, an anticancer drug, have been newly synthesized. Their disulfide bonds are readily cleaved by various thiols including glutathione, to result in a subsequent decomposition of the carbamate into amine followed by release of the active gemcitabine, which can be monitored by the fluorescence changes. In the biological experiment, prodrug 1 is preferentially up-taken by folate-positive KB cells over folate-negative A549 cells via receptor-mediated endocytosis to release gemcitabine causing cell death and to emit fluorescence in endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, it is selectively accumulated in the KB cells which were treated to mice by dorsal subcutaneous injection. This drug delivery system is a new theranostic agent, wherein both therapeutic effect and drug uptake can be easily monitored at the subcellular level, by in vivo and in vitro fluorescence imaging.

Molecular modulated cysteine-selective fluorescent probe.

We have synthesized a series of coumarins (1-3) that can emit fluorescence in a turn-on manner through a Michael-type reaction with thiol-containing compounds. The only difference among the coumarins is the position of a carboxyl group on its benzene ring moiety near the double-bond conjugated coumarin. Their selectivity for Cys, GSH, and Hcy as well as the associated fluorogenic mechanism were illustrated by fluorescence spectroscopy, DFT calculations, and kinetic studies. All isomers prefer Cys over GSH in the reaction from 48.6 (probe 3) to 111-fold (probe 1) as demonstrated in a second order kinetics. The high selectivity of probe 1 to Cys might be achieved since the ortho carboxyl group on its benzene ring prefers a less negatively charged nucleophile. During intracellular Cys detection using 1, a possible interference by a large amount of GSH in the HepG2 cells was evaluated. The cells were treated with l-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase, providing an experimental condition where the cells could not synthesize GSH from Cys or other species. Then, the fluorescence intensity of 1 in HepG2 cells under BSO-H(2)O(2) treatment was strongly enhanced by N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a precursor of Cys, implicating that the fluorescence signal from the cells is mainly associated with changes in intracellular [Cys] rather than that in intracellular [GSH].

Mitochondrial thioredoxin-responding off-on fluorescent probe.

We synthesized a new probe, Mito-Naph, to visualize mitochondrial thioredoxin (Trx) activity in cells. A fluorescence off-on change is induced by disulfide cleavage of the probe, resulting from a reaction with Trx and subsequent intramolecular cyclization by the released thiolate to give a fluorescent product. By measuring the fluorescence at 540 nm, Trx activity can be detected at nanomolar concentrations (down to 50 nM) well below its physiological levels. The in vitro and in vivo Trx preference of Mito-Naph was demonstrated by fluorometric and confocal microscopic experiments. In vitro kinetic analysis of the disulfide bond cleavage revealed that the second-order rate constant for Trx is (4.04 ± 0.26) × 10(3) (M s)(-1), approximately 5000 times faster than that for GSH. The inhibition experiments involving PX-12, a selective inhibitor of Trx, also revealed that the emission from Mito-Naph significantly decreased in PX-12 dose-dependent manners, both in living cells and in cellular protein extracts. The Trx preference was further supported by an observation that the fluorescence intensity of rat liver extract was decreased according to the Trx depletion by immunoprecipitation. On the basis of these results, it is concluded that Mito-Naph preferentially reacts with Trx, compared with other biological thiols containing amino acids in vitro and in vivo.

Enhanced NIR radiation-triggered hyperthermia by mitochondrial targeting.

Mitochondria are organelles that are readily susceptible to temperature elevation. We selectively delivered a coumarin-based fluorescent iron oxide nanoparticle, Mito-CIO, to the mitochondria. Upon 740 nm laser irradiation, the intracellular temperature of HeLa cells was elevated by 2.1 °C within 5 min when using Mito-CIO, and the treatment resulted in better hyperthermia and a more elevated cytotoxicity than HeLa cells treated with coumarin iron oxide (CIO), which was missing the mitochondrial targeting unit. We further confirmed these results in a tumor xenograft mouse model. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a near-infrared laser irradiation-induced hyperthermic particle targeted to mitochondria, enhancing the cytotoxicity in cancer cells. Our present work therefore may open a new direction in the development of photothermal therapeutics.

A fluorescence off–on reporter for real time monitoring of gemcitabine delivery to the cancer cells

We present the design, synthesis, optical properties and in vitro biological assessments of the theranostic prodrug in which a near IR fluorophore is conjugated with a cancer cell-directing biotin unit; further it is linked with the anti-cancer drug gemcitabine via a self-immolative spacer, a disulfide bond. The prodrug is able to monitor drug delivery and cellular imaging.

Toward a Chemical Marker for Inflammatory Disease: A Fluorescent Probe for Membrane-Localized Thioredoxin

Thioredoxin (Trx) is a redox-active protein that plays a key role in mitigating the effects of oxidative stress. The secretion of Trx on the plasma membrane has been suggested as a distinctive feature of inflammation. However, selective monitoring of membrane-associated Trx activity has proved challenging because of the ubiquity of Trx action in cells. Here, we report a Trx-specific probe that allows visualization of Trx activity associated with the membranes via fluorescence microscopy. The ability of this probe to act as a possible screening tool for agents that modulate Trx secretion was demonstrated in HeLa cells under oxidative stress conditions and in a cellular hepatosteatosis model. Control experiments serve to confirm that the response seen for the present probe is due to Trx and that it is selective over various potentially competing metabolites, including thiol-containing small molecules and test proteins.