Biomarker-Responsive Fluorescent Probes for In-Vivo Imaging of Liver Injury.

Abstract

Liver injury-related diseases have aroused widespread concern due to their extreme unpredictability, acute onset, and severe consequences. Nowadays, the clinical prediction and assessment of liver injury mainly focus on histopathological and serological approaches, which require a tedious process and sometimes invasive biopsy. Over the past decades, fluorescence imaging techniques have emerged for the diagnosis of diseases owing to their noninvasiveness, high fidelity and ease of operation. With regard to liver injury, fluorescent probes have been delicately designed to respond to a variety of endogenous biomolecules to precisely offer comprehensive information about the lesion site. Herein, we make a brief summary and discussion about the design strategies and applications of recently reported fluorescent biosensors responsive to a series of biomarkers involved in liver injury. The potential prospects and remaining challenges are also discussed to promote the progression in this field.