Tang Gao

A Water-Soluble ESIPT Fluorescent Probe with High Quantum Yield and Red Emission for Ratiometric Detection of Inorganic and Organic Palladium

A novel fluorescent probe with a high quantum yield (0.41), large Stokes shifts (255 nm), and red emission (635 nm) was designed to detect all typical oxidation states of palladium species (0, +2, +4) by palladium-mediated terminal propargyl ethers cleavage reaction in water solution without any organic media. The probe showed a high selectivity and excellent sensitivity for palladium species, with a detection as low as 57 nM (6.2 μg L(-1)).

SPECT and PET radiopharmaceuticals for molecular imaging of apoptosis: from bench to clinic

Owing to the central role of apoptosis in many human diseases and the wide-spread application of apoptosis-based therapeutics, molecular imaging of apoptosis in clinical practice is of great interest for clinicians, and holds great promises. Based on the well-defined biochemical changes for apoptosis, a rich assortment of probes and approaches have been developed for molecular imaging of apoptosis with various imaging modalities. Among these imaging techniques, nuclear imaging (including single photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography) remains the premier clinical method owing to their high specificity and sensitivity. Therefore, the corresponding radiopharmaceuticals have been a major focus, and some of them like 99mTc-Annexin V, 18F-ML-10, 18F-CP18, and 18F-ICMT-11 are currently under clinical investigations in Phase I/II or Phase II/III clinical trials on a wide scope of diseases. In this review, we summarize these radiopharmaceuticals that have been widely used in clinical trials and elaborate them in terms of radiosynthesis, pharmacokinetics and dosimetry, and their applications in different clinical stages. We also explore the unique features required to qualify a desirable radiopharmaceutical for imaging apoptosis in clinical practice. Particularly, a perspective of the impact of these clinical efforts, namely, apoptosis imaging as predictive and prognostic markers, early-response indicators and surrogate endpoints, is also the highlight of this review.

Gene detection: An essential process to precision medicine

Gene detection plays an important role in public health and consumer finances cause its prominent functions in precision medicine, pathogens detection and species identification. Whats more, the announcement of Precision Medicine Initiative would strengthen its status further in many aspects. Therefore, rapid and simplified gene detection techniques are in urgent demand to meet the practical use. During the last decades, gene detection techniques have advanced considerably by integrating various strategies such as microassay, nanotechnologies and electrochemical methods. Herein, we summerized the recent innovations of gene detection methods based on the signal read-out modalities, and highlight those techniques with the potentials to realize Point-of-care (POC) tests. Additionally, gene detection principle, amplification strategies and their applications are also discussed.

A novel self-assembled nanoprobe for the detection of aluminum ions in real water samples and living cells

Aluminum ions, as a kind of non-essential element, show a negative impact on plants growth and contribute to diseases caused by nervous breakdown like Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease. Hence, the detection of Al3+ in environment and human body is of great significance and valuableness. Herein, a N-H-type excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) based self-assemble nanoprobe has been designed and synthesized for the detection of Al3+. Owing to phthalandione and tosyl group, probe ABTTA could self-assemble into nanoparticles with nearly no fluorescence. However, ABTTA would be further aggregated by Al3+ ions in aqueous solution which results in enhanced fluorescence (peaking at 555 nm). Based on this principle, a novel analytical method for detection of Al3+ was established with a limit of detection of 50 nM, which was much better than most of reported probes. Moreover, the nanoprobe with excellent water solubility was successfully applied for the detection of Al3+ in real water sample with satisfactory measurement accuracy. Benefited from the favorable water solubility, the nanoprobe was further utilized to the detection of Al3+ in human cancer samples, demonstrating its potential application for biological imaging.

Novel Self-assembled Organic Nanoprobe for Molecular Imaging and Treatment of Gram-positive Bacterial Infection

Background: Increasing bacterial infections as well as a rise in bacterial resistance call for the development of novel and safe antimicrobial agents without inducing bacterial resistance. Nanoparticles (NPs) present some advantages in treating bacterial infections and provide an alternative strategy to discover new antibiotics. Here, we report the development of novel self-assembled fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs) with excellent antibacterial efficacy and good biocompatibility. Methods: Self-assembly of 1-(12-(pyridin-1-ium-1-yl)dodecyl)-4-(1,4,5-triphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)pyridin-1-ium (TPIP) in aqueous solution was investigated using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The bacteria were imaged under a laser scanning confocal microscope. We evaluated the antibacterial efficacy of TPIP-FONs in vitro using sugar plate test. The antimicrobial mechanism was explored by SEM. The biocompatibility of the nanoparticles was examined using cytotoxicity test, hemolysis assay, and histological staining. We further tested the antibacterial efficacy of TPIP-FONs in vivo using the S. aureus-infected rats. Results: In aqueous solution, TPIP could self-assemble into nanoparticles (TPIP-FONs) with characteristic aggregation-induced emission (AIE). TPIP-FONs could simultaneously image gram-positive bacteria without the washing process. In vitro antimicrobial activity suggested that TPIP-FONs had excellent antibacterial activity against S. aureus (MIC = 2.0 µg mL-1). Furthermore, TPIP-FONs exhibited intrinsic biocompatibility with mammalian cells, in particular, red blood cells. In vivo studies further demonstrated that TPIP-FONs had excellent antibacterial efficacy and significantly reduced bacterial load in the infectious sites. Conclusion: The integrated design of bacterial imaging and antibacterial functions in the self-assembled small molecules provides a promising strategy for the development of novel antimicrobial nanomaterials.

Applications of Nanoparticles Probes for Prostate Cancer Imaging and Therapy

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common type of cancer in men with high morbidity and mortality. However, the current treatment with drugs often leads to chemotherapy resistance. It is known that the multi-disciplines research on molecular imaging is very helpful for early diagnosing, staging, restaging and precise treatment of PCa. In the past decades, the tumor-specific targeted drugs were developed for the clinic to treat prostate cancer. Among them, the emerging nanotechnology has brought about many exciting novel diagnosis and treatments systems for PCa. Nanotechnology can greatly enhance the treatment activity of PCa and provide novel theranostics platform by utilizing the unique physical/chemical properties, targeting strategy, or by loading with imaging/therapeutic agents. Herein, this chapter focuses on state-of-art advances in imaging and diagnosing PCa with nanomaterials and highlights the approaches used for functionalization of the targeted biomolecules, and in the treatment for various aspects of PCa with multifunctional nanoparticles, nanoplatforms and nanodelivery system.