Molecular Probes for Fluorescence Imaging of ATP in Cells and Tissues

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), as the main energy source in cells, powers most cellular activities, such as synthesis and transportation of biomolecules, cell signaling, and muscle contraction. Therefore, detection and monitoring of ATP are essential to understand many biological processes, demanding molecular probes with high selectivity and sensitivity, fast response times, along with long-term monitoring and tissue imaging capability. We overviewed the reported small-molecule fluorescent probes for ATP by categorizing their recognition elements, along with comments on their merits and limitations. Also, we briefly stated the desirable properties, challenges, and perspectives in the development of ATP probes.