Imaging of carboxylesterase 2 expression changes in colitis and colon cancer chemotherapy via a fluorescent probe

Abstract

Colitis is one of the important etiologies of colon cancer, but the diagnosis of early colitis and colon cancer is still a difficult problem, so it is important to use reasonable methods to achieve the diagnosis of early colitis and colon cancer. Carboxylesterase 2 (CES2) is momentous in the development of colon disease and can be used as an indicator to distinguish colitis from colon cancer. CES2 is expressed differently in colitis and colon cancer, so it has the potential to distinguish colitis from colon cancer by detecting the difference in CES2 expression. We designed a fluorescent probe Bcy-CES2 for imaging CES2 in cells and in vivo and evaluating the differences in CES2 levels in colon disease. Probe Bcy-CES2 shows good potential for in situ real-time monitoring of endogenous CES2. In addition, we found that the combination of CES2 inhibitor BNPP and cisplatin can reduce tumor chemotherapy resistance, and CES2 levels may become a new index for early diagnosis and prognosis of colon cancer.