Solo Smart Fluorogenic Probe for Potential Cancer Diagnosis and Tracking in Vivo Tumorous Lymphatic Systems via Distinct Emission Signals.

A versatile twisted-intramolecular-charge-transfer (TICT)-based near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe (L) has been judiciously designed and synthesized that could be utilized for potential cancer diagnosis and to track lymph node(s) in mice through distinct emission signals. Essentially, the probe rendered the capability to preferentially recognize the cancer cells over the noncancer cells by polarity-guided lipid droplet specific differential bioimaging (in green emission channel) studies. The probe also exhibited selective turn-on fluorescence response toward HSA/BSA in physiological media (aqueous PBS buffer; pH 7.4) at far-red/NIR regions, because of the 1:1 chelation between the probe and HSA/BSA. Therefore, the fluorescent probe was then maneuvered to track the draining lymphatic system and sentinel lymph node in tumor mice model by fluorescence imaging (NIR/deep-red channel), wherein the accumulated albumin protein in the draining tumor lymphatic system facilitated the in situ formation of the fluorescent albumin-L complex.