A novel probe for identifying breast cancer cells based on fluorescence response of the cascade process of biothiol and viscosity

Cancer is life-threatening disease. Surgical removal of tumors is an important procedure in early tumor treatment, and tumor imaging plays an important role in the treatment. Traditional tumor imaging often uses single-factor imaging, in which an enzyme was introduced into cancer cells to turn on the fluorescence of probes. This method, however, has disadvantages such as poor signal and strong interferences. We took advantage of the high GSH content and high viscosity of tumor cells to develop a new type of probe so-called TPQ-G. The developed TPQ-G probe relies on a cascade process. First, TPQ-G reacts with the highly expressed GSH in tumors to generate the fluorescent substance TPQ-OH, which can then be used to sense the high viscosity of the tumors. As a result, the fluorescence intensity was further enhanced, improving the effectiveness of the imaging.