Abstract Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) nanoprobes based on aggregated induced emission (AIE) molecules are promising for the monitoring of biomolecules in living cells, but this nanoprobe for reactive oxygen species (ROS) has rarely been reported. Here, a novel AIE-based FRET nanoparticles (NPs) is developed for ratiometric detection and imaging of hypochlorite in live cells. Different to common FRET-based nanosensors, the NPs is prepared via facile co-assembly strategy in water using amphiphilic tetraphenylethene (TPE1, energy donor) and thienyl-diketopyrrolopyrrole (NDPP, energy acceptor). This hybrid NPs are uniform spherical, with size of approximately 120 nm. NDPP maintains bright fluorescence inside the hybrid NPs and acts as the reactive unit for hypochlorite in this FRET nanosystem. As a ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobe, the hybrid NPs shows high selectivity to hypochlorite with a detection limit calculated to be 105 nM, thanks to its stable particle size in hypochlorite sensing. Furthermore, the successful ratiometric fluorescent imaging of ClO− in HeLa cells demonstrates that our NPs can effectively pass through the cell membrane and recognize the ClO− in living cells.

中文翻译：

---

轻松构建基于 AIE 的 FRET 纳米探针，用于活细胞中次氯酸盐的比例成像

摘要 基于聚集诱导发射 (AIE) 分子的荧光共振能量转移 (FRET) 纳米探针有望用于监测活细胞中的生物分子，但这种用于活性氧 (ROS) 的纳米探针鲜有报道。在这里，开发了一种新型的基于 AIE 的 FRET 纳米粒子 (NPs)，用于活细胞中次氯酸盐的比例检测和成像。与常见的基于 FRET 的纳米传感器不同，NPs 是通过在水中使用两亲性四苯乙烯（TPE1，能量供体）和噻吩基二酮吡咯并吡咯（NDPP，能量受体）通过简便的共组装策略制备的。这种混合纳米颗粒是均匀的球形，尺寸约为 120 nm。NDPP 在混合 NPs 内保持明亮的荧光，并在这个 FRET 纳米系统中充当次氯酸盐的反应单元。作为比例荧光纳米探针，由于其在次氯酸盐传感中的稳定粒径，混合纳米颗粒对次氯酸盐显示出高选择性，检测限为 105 nM。此外，HeLa 细胞中 ClO− 的成功比率荧光成像表明我们的 NPs 可以有效地穿过细胞膜并识别活细胞中的 ClO−。