Series of Mitochondria/Lysosomes Self-Targetable Near-Infrared Hemicyanine Dyes for Viscosity Detection
Six mitochondria/lysosomes self-targetable and viscosity-sensitive dyes (1a-f) were developed via simple structure modification on cyanine-derived dyes and indicated that different derivatives with the same chromophore core exhibited different organelle-targeting abilities.
Abstract
Six mitochondria/lysosomes self-targetable and viscosity-sensitive dyes (<b>1a</b>-<b>1f</b>) were developed via simple structure modification on cyanine-derived dyes. They all showed remarkable OFF-ON fluorescent response to viscosity in the near-infrared region (652-690 nm) and exhibited good linear relationship with solution viscosity. The transient absorption spectra were used to evaluate the excited-state lifetime of dye <b>1a</b> in different viscosity environments. Furthermore, cellular imaging assays indicated that different derivatives (<b>1a</b>-<b>1f</b>) with the same chromophore core exhibited different organelle-targeting abilities. Among them, dyes <b>1a</b>-<b>1c</b> could sense lysosomal viscosity fluctuations while dyes <b>1d</b>-<b>1f</b> could be applied in mitochondrial viscosity detections.