Molecule engineering of coumarin to reverse aggregation-caused quenching: Facile access to BioAIEgens
Shouji Li,
Xiaobin Li,
Junyu Liu,
Yuting Lin,
Xuedan Zhang,
Weiren Zhong,
Juan Li,
Caifa You,
Dong Wang,
Jisong Zhang,
Xu Xu,
Xu-Min Cai,
Can Yang Zhang
Affiliations
Shouji Li
Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Xiaobin Li
Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
Junyu Liu
Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
Yuting Lin
Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Xuedan Zhang
Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Weiren Zhong
Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Juan Li
Advanced Research Institute for Multidisciplinary Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China; Corresponding author
Caifa You
China Center for AIE Research, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Dong Wang
China Center for AIE Research, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Jisong Zhang
Key Lab of Industrial Biocatalysis Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Xu Xu
Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; Corresponding author
Xu-Min Cai
Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; Corresponding author
Can Yang Zhang
Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China; Key Lab of Industrial Biocatalysis Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518107, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) have been extensively investigated and widely used in biomedical fields. However, AIEgens are mostly derived from petrochemicals, leading to challenges of renewability, sustainability, and biocompatibility. Therefore, it is of striking prospect to construct bioproduct-based AIEgens (BioAIEgens) based on the natural profits. Herein, we proposed a straightforward method named “rotor-alicyclic” strategy to prepare BioAIEgens with high fluorescence and produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) activities as well as high biosafety. We prepared four BioAIEgens by introducing two rotors and a naturally rigid alicyclic moiety into coumarin molecule. The aggregation-induced emission (AIE) performances were evaluated, especially the fluorescence and production of ROS activities. Mechanistic study proved that the introduction of two rotors can destroy the planar structure, and the rigid alicyclic moiety can limit the molecular motion. Furthermore, the biosafety was carefully investigated in vitro and in vivo, demonstrating the high biocompatibility. Summarily, we developed a facile engineering method to prepare BioAIEgens.
