科研之友
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摘要
The use of nonfluorescent azo dyes as dark quenchers in activatable optical bioprobes based on the Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) mechanism and designed to target a wide range of enzymes has been established for over two decades. The key value of the azo moiety (-N= N-) to act as an efficient "ON-OFF" switch of fluorescence once introduced within the core structure of conventional organic-based fluorophores ( mainly fluorescent aniline derivatives) has recently been exploited in the development of alternative reaction-based small-molecule probes based on the "profluorescence" concept. These unprece-dented "azobenzene-caged" fluorophores are valuable tools for the detection of a wide range of reactive (bio) analytes. This review highlights the most recent and relevant advances made in the design and biosensing/bioimaging applications of azo-based fluorogenic probes. Emphasis is also placed on relevant achievements in the synthesis of bioconjugatable/ biocompatible azo dyes used as starting building blocks in the rational and rapid construction of these fluorescent chemodosimeters. Finally, a brief glimpse of possible future biomedical applications (theranostics) of these "smart" azobenzene-based molecular systems is presented.
- 出版日期2017-8-17
