AIE-Fluorescent TPENC12 Nanoliposome: Construction and Characterization of Optical Properties

The advancement of optical imaging technology has greatly facilitated the research on fluorescent probes with tumor imaging capabilities. Tetraphenylethlene (TPE) is a well-known molecule with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties. Accordingly, its derivatives have been widely used for fluorescence imaging of tumors. In the present study, we designed and synthesized five AIE molecules that contained TPE and had varying alkyl chain lengths. The fluorescent molecules were found to adhere to the two rules of spectroscopy in both favorable and unfavorable solvents. Furthermore, all molecules were able to form aggregates in the DCM/n-hexane mixture, demonstrating the AIE effect. Among them, TPENC12 possessed the most appropriate alkyl chain length. Following the five molecules successful integration into nanoliposomes. The nanoliposomes were screened, to obtain the TPENC12 nanoliposome that exhibited the highest fluorescence intensity. TPENC12 nanoliposome were capable of being taken up by melanoma cells, thus, effectively enabling tumor imaging. Moreover, they demonstrated a significant anti-tumor effect against melanoma at low concentrations, while exhibiting minimal toxicity towards normal cells. The present study, thus, offers valuable insights into the molecular structure design of AIE-based TPE derivatives for fluorescent imaging, thereby highlighting their potential for use in tumor imaging, as well as in the treatment of melanoma.