Dual-locked NIR fluorescent probe for detection of GSH and lipid droplets and its bioimaging application in cancer model

Fluorescence probes with outstanding merits have wide applications in tumor diagnosis. However, most of these probes can only detect single tumor biomarker, potentially generating “false positive” signals within intricate biological systems. In contrast, the dual-locked fluorescent probes triggered by two response factors can effectively address the aforementioned limitations. In this work, we fabricated a novel coumarin-based NIR fluorescent probe (CP-GSH), demonstrating dual-responsiveness to high glutathione (GSH) concentrations and high viscosity. Specifically, the probe showed strong fluorescence enhancement at 675 nm ∼ 725 nm in the simultaneous presence of GSH and high viscosity, whereas the presence of either GSH or high viscosity alone could not induce a noticeable change in fluorescence intensity of CP-GSH. More importantly, the bioimaging experiments further validated CP-GSH triggered by endogenous GSH possessed excellent targeting capability towards lipid droplets (LDs), which could be utilized to effective discriminate between cancer cells and normal cells. This work proposes a promising strategy for the design of dual-locked probe for tumor imaging.