Abstract
In clinical chemotherapy, some basic drugs cannot enter the hydrophobic cell membrane because of ionization in the acidic tumor microenvironment, a phenomenon known as ion trapping. In this study, we developed a method to visualize this ion trapping phenomenon by utilizing a pH-responsive ratiometric AIEgen, dihydro berberine (dhBBR). By observing the intracellular fluorescence ofdhBBR, we found that non-ionizeddhBBRcan enter cells more easily than ionized forms, which is in accordance with the concept of ion trapping. In addition,dhBBRshows superior anti-photobleaching ability toCurcuminthanks to its AIE properties. These results suggest thatdhBBRcan serve as a bioprobe for ion trapping.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 5753-5758 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Chemical Science |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 22 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 14 Jun 2020 |
Externally published | Yes |