A chemiluminescent reporter assisted by in-situ neutrophils for imaging O2− at inflammatory sites

Precisely reporting the inflammatory microenvironment, which can provide important basis for disease diagnosis and progression determination, is always challenging. In this work, we develop a targeting peptide-conjugated chemiluminescent reporter (OFF), which can be recognized by in-situ circulated neutrophils once injected, and then transported to the inflamed tissues characterized with overexpressed superoxide anion (O2-), assisted by the chemotaxis natural of neutrophils. Subsequently, the chemiluminescent probe can particularly respond to O2- to release the caged photons (ON) for visualizing inflammatory diseases such as subcutaneous tumor, colorectal cancer peritoneal metastasis (CCPM), ear swelling and kidney failure. The chemiluminescent probe provides a reliable tool to early detect inflammation and precisely excise micrometastatic lesions under optical guidance. This study provides a potential approach for improving the performance of luminophore in advanced bioimaging applications.