Occurrence and development of cancer are multifactorial and multistep processes which involve complicated cellular signaling pathways. Mitochondria, as the energy producer in cells, play key roles in tumor cell growth and division. Since mitochondria of tumor cells have a more negative membrane potential than those of normal cells, several fluorescent imaging probes have been developed for mitochondria‐targeted imaging and photodynamic therapy. Conventional fluorescent dyes suffer from aggregation‐caused quenching effect, while novel aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) probes are ideal candidates for biomedical applications due to their large stokes shift, strong photo‐bleaching resistance, and high quantum yield. This review aims to introduce the recent advances in the design and application of mitochondria‐targeted AIE probes. The comprehensive review focuses on the structure‐property relationship of these imaging probes, expecting to inspire the development of more practical and versatile AIE fluorogens (AIEgens) as tumor imaging and therapy agents for preclinical and clinical use.

中文翻译：

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聚集诱导的基于荧光的线粒体靶向肿瘤成像和治疗学

癌症的发生和发展是涉及复杂的细胞信号传导途径的多因素和多步骤过程。线粒体作为细胞的能量产生剂，在肿瘤细胞的生长和分裂中起着关键作用。由于肿瘤细胞的线粒体比正常细胞具有更大的负膜电位，因此已经开发出几种荧光成像探针用于线粒体靶向成像和光动力疗法。常规的荧光染料具有聚集引起的猝灭作用，而新型的聚集诱导发射（AIE）探针因其大的斯托克斯位移，强的抗光漂白性和高的量子产率而成为生物医学应用的理想选择。本文旨在介绍针对线粒体的AIE探针的设计和应用的最新进展。