Bright and photostable fluorescent probe with aggregation-induced emission characteristics for specific lysosome imaging and tracking

•We have developed a new lysosome-targeting AIE fluorescent probe TPE-MPL.•Noninvasive imaging and monitoring the morphological changes of lysosomes.•Fluorescent imaging and tracing lysosomes with high spatial and temporal resolution.

We develop a new lysosome-targeting AIE fluorescent probe tetraphenylethene-morpholine (TPE-MPL), by incorporating a typical lysosome-targeting moiety of morpholine into a stable tetraphenylethene skeleton. Due to both the AIE and antenna effects, TPE-MPL possesses superior photostability, appreciable tolerance to microenvironment change and high lysosome targeting ability. Our findings confirm that TPE-MPL is a well-suited imaging agent for targeting lysosome and tracking dynamic movement of lysosome. Moreover, due to its synthetic accessibility, TPE-MPL could be further modified as a dual-functional probe for lysosome, thereby gain further insight into the role of lysosome in biomedical applications.

Graphical abstractA novel lysosome-targetable AIE fluorescent probe TPE-MPL with high photostability, appreciable tolerance to microenvironment change and high lysosome targeting properties was developed. It can be used for noninvasive imaging of lysosomes and tracking the dynamic movements of lysosomes with high spatial and temporal resolution and can track lysosomes morphology in cell apoptosis.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide