A near-infrared fluorescent probe for fast and precise imaging of senescent cells and ovarian cancer cells via tracking β-galactosidase

Aging-related diseases are gradually becoming a major problem with the rapid development of aged population in human society. Although many fluorescent probes have been employed to diagnosis senescence via imaging senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal), which is proved to be closely associated with senescent cells, the similar catalytic effectiveness of enzymatic reaction of ovarian cancer-associated β-Gal (OA-β-Gal) will interfere with imaging accuracy. Herein, a near-infrared (NIR) hemicyanine based fluorescent probe HCyXA-βGal was designed for light-up imaging of live cells containing β-Gal. With the organelle-targeting morpholinyl and positive charge moieties, HCyXA-βGal was successfully applicated to image the difference of enzymatic location in senescent cells and ovarian cancer cells. Furthermore, inspired by the fast response performance, fast and precise imaging of the two cell lines was realized via covering another dimension of fluorescence signal: time-dependent intensity.