Development of a novel near-infrared fluorescent probe based on nile blue for the detection of leucine aminopeptidase as a cancer biomarker

We report herein the design and synthesis of a near-infrared fluorescent probe (NB-SO3-Leu) derived from the Nile Blue (NB) fluorophore scaffold, modified with sulfonic groups to improve solubility and biocompatibility. The mechanism of action of the NB-SO3-Leu probe was successfully validated in th...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Domínguez, M, Azorín-Soriano, D, García-Fleitas, J, Soler-Beatty, J, Bernardos, A, García-Fernández, A, Blandez, JF, Sancenón, F, Martínez-Máñez, R
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2025
Country:España
Institution:Centro de Investigación Principe Felipe (CIPF)
Repository:r-CIPF. Repositorio Institucional Producción Científica del Centro de Investigación Principe Felipe (CIPF)
OAI Identifier:oai:cipf.fundanetsuite.com:p4526
Online Access:https://cipf.fundanetsuite.com/Publicaciones/ProdCientif/PublicacionFrw.aspx?id=4526
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Near-infrared fluorescent probe
Cancer biomarker
Leucine aminopeptidase
Zwitterionic compounds
Biocompatibility
Description
Summary:We report herein the design and synthesis of a near-infrared fluorescent probe (NB-SO3-Leu) derived from the Nile Blue (NB) fluorophore scaffold, modified with sulfonic groups to improve solubility and biocompatibility. The mechanism of action of the NB-SO3-Leu probe was successfully validated in the presence of leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), a widely known cancer biomarker. The fluorescence signal of NB-SO3-Leu, which was initially low, increased 4-fold after incubation with the LAP enzyme after 15 min. In addition, the NB-SO3-Leu probe was validated in vitro in 4T1 (mouse mammary carcinoma cells), HeLa (human cervical cancer cells), and SK-Mel-103 (human melanoma cells) with high endogenous LAP levels. This work aims to advance in the development of a new generation of reliable and sensitive cancer detection methods.