Advances and perspectives in fluorescent probes for imaging hepatopathy-related biomarkers

As the metabolic and detoxification center of the body, the liver is closely involved in many critical physiological processes, such as metabolism, immunity, digestion, storage of liver glycogen and synthesis of proteins. Normal liver function is essential for maintaining the health and stability of the body, and abnormal liver function can lead to a variety of liver diseases, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver, liver cancer, hepatitis, and liver fibrosis. Early diagnosis can buy valuable time for the treatment of liver disease. In the process of disease onset and progression, the fluctuation of biomarkers can directly reflect the health status of the liver, providing valuable opportunities and avenues for the diagnosis of liver disease and assessment of treatment efficacy. In recent years, a large number of fluorescent probes have been reported for the detection of biomarkers of liver diseases, which provides rich and valuable information for the study of pathological processes, drug development, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The review systematically summarizes the recent progress of fluorescence probes in the detection of hepatopathy-related biomarkers in the past three years, including the design and recognition mechanism of fluorescence probes, the main types of liver diseases and typical biomarkers. Also, we deeply discussed the problems and shortcomings of the current fluorescent probes and furnished the direction and path for future development. In the future, long wavelength probes, multi-detection probes, quantitative analysis probes, and multi-modal probes will be popular trends. We expect that this review may facilitate the blossom of novel fluorescent probes for disease detection research and further provide meaningful guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Automated summary

The liver, as the metabolic and detoxification center, plays a vital role in various physiological processes. Normal liver function is crucial for maintaining overall health, while abnormal liver function can lead to liver diseases. Early diagnosis of liver diseases is essential for timely treatment. The use of fluorescent probes for detecting biomarkers of liver diseases has provided valuable insights for pathological studies, drug development, and disease diagnosis and treatment in recent years. This review summarizes the progress of fluorescence probes in detecting hepatopathy-related biomarkers and discusses the current challenges and future directions. The development of long wavelength probes, multi-detection probes, quantitative analysis probes, and multi-modal probes is expected to be a popular trend. This review aims to facilitate the development of novel fluorescent probes for disease detection and provide guidance for diagnosis and treatment.