Visualizing the role of extracellular matrix (ECM) in cell bioactivities in three-dimensional (3D) view is highly important for in-depth understanding of fundamental physiological issues in various in vitro experiments. Using current designs it is difficult to produce 3D biomimetic ECM with intrinsic fluorescence under non-invasive near-infrared excitation. Herein, we have designed and synthesized a series of non-conventional coumarin-derived hydrogelators, which can self-assemble to form nanofibrous 3D supramolecular hydrogels through C–H⋯O bonds and be excited by two-photon absorption, ensuring the direct and dynamic visualization of cell–matrix interactions with high resolution images in a 3D environment. Real-time monitoring of ECM-regulated dynamic cell behaviours is highly desirable for future basic and applied research.

中文翻译：

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双光子激发的超分子水凝胶的非侵入式可视化细胞-基质相互作用

在三维（3D）视图中可视化细胞外基质（ECM）在细胞生物活性中的作用对于深入了解各种体外的基本生理问题非常重要实验。使用当前的设计，很难在无创的近红外激发下产生具有固有荧光的3D仿生ECM。本文中，我们设计和合成了一系列非常规香豆素衍生的水凝胶剂，它们可以通过C–H⋯O键自组装形成纳米纤维3D超分子水凝胶，并通过双光子吸收而被激发，从而确保了直接和动态在3D环境中以高分辨率图像可视化细胞-基质相互作用。对于未来的基础研究和应用研究，非常需要对ECM调节的动态细胞行为进行实时监控。