A single fluorescent probe for simultaneous detection of polarity, viscosity, and esterase

作者：Zehua Han, Taihe Han, Ziling Tang, Qin Huang, Junbao Ma, Shuai Mu, Huayu Wang, Xiaoyan Liu, Haixia Zhang · 发表于：Analytica Chimica Acta · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.aca.2025.344463 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Molecular Sensors and Ion Detection、Sulfur Compounds in Biology、Luminescence and Fluorescent Materials

BACKGROUND: The dynamic interplay between esterase activity and physicochemical microenvironments-such as polarity and viscosity-is critical for decoding early cellular dysfunction in processes like apoptosis, ferroptosis, and drug-induced toxicity. However, conventional probes typically report only a single parameter, obscuring interdependent changes in enzyme activity and membrane properties. This technological gap limits our ability to capture real-time, spatially resolved fluctuations within subcellular compartments. Developing a multifunctional, dual-emission probe that concurrently monitors esterase activity, polarity, and viscosity would thus provide unprecedented insight into complex pathophysiological mechanisms and enhance diagnostic precision. RESULTS: = 405/525 nm). PQE integrates three functional modules: a quinoline-based polarity sensor exhibiting 48-fold fluorescence attenuation across solvent polarity Δƒ from 0.0205 to 0.3200, a pyrene-derived molecular rotor showing 50-fold fluorescence enhancement over a viscosity range of 0.89-965 cP, and an acetoxymethyl (AcOM) esterase-activatable group demonstrating 39-fold fluorescence increase after hydrolysis. Using PQE, we distinguished live cells, early apoptotic cells, and fixed cells, and observed that ferroptosis-induced esterase inactivation coincided with increased mitochondrial viscosity and decreased lipid droplet polarity. In addition, PQE also dynamically visualized esterase inhibition and viscosity-polari...