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Chemosensors
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Advancements and Emerging Applications of Fluorescent Probes for Sensing and...
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Advancements and Emerging Applications of Fluorescent Probes for Sensing and Imaging

A special issue of Chemosensors (ISSN 2227-9040). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Chemical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2025) | Viewed by 2932

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sushil K. Dwivedi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA
Interests: NIR fluorescent probe; cell imaging

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development of fluorescent probes, with excellent water solubility, a large dynamic range, and high organelle specificity, with fluorogenic responses containing significant changes in emission peaks under excitation, can be utilized for the sensing of various biologically important analytes and their application in imaging within different organelles, which could meet the complex diagnosis and analysis necessity in living organisms.

This Special Issue will provide innovative interdisciplinary exchange among scientists in the field of chemistry, biochemistry, and materials science. We invite contributions that bring attention to the development of innovative fluorescent probes. This critical idea will open the establishment of new biochemical analysis tactics and address key challenges to expand their biomedical applications.

Dr. Sushil K. Dwivedi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Chemosensors is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fluorescent probe
  • imaging
  • sensors

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1484 KB  
Article
A Long-Wavelength Fluorescent Probe for Efficient Dual-Color Imaging of Boronic-Acid-Containing Agents in Living Cells
by Shinya Takada, Honghuo Du, Naoya Kondo, Anna Miyazaki, Fumiko Hara, Shizuyo Horiyama, Takashi Temma and Masayori Hagimori
Chemosensors 2025, 13(8), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors13080283 - 4 Aug 2025
Viewed by 493
Abstract
In boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), the intracellular localization and concentration of boron-10 atoms significantly influence therapeutic efficacy. Although various boronic-acid-targeted fluorescent probes have been developed to evaluate BNCT agents, most of these probes emit at short wavelengths and are, therefore, incompatible with [...] Read more.
In boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), the intracellular localization and concentration of boron-10 atoms significantly influence therapeutic efficacy. Although various boronic-acid-targeted fluorescent probes have been developed to evaluate BNCT agents, most of these probes emit at short wavelengths and are, therefore, incompatible with common nuclear-staining reagents such as Hoechst 33342 and 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). While our previously reported probe, BS-631, emitted fluorescence above 500 nm, it exhibited limitations in terms of reaction rate and fluorescence intensity. To address these issues, we developed a boronic-acid-targeted fluorescent probe with a longer emission wavelength, rapid reactivity, and strong fluorescence intensity. Herein, we designed and synthesized BTTQ, a probe based on a 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole core structure. BTTQ exhibited immediate fluorescence upon reaction with 4-borono-L-phenylalanine (BPA), with an emission wavelength of 567 nm and a sufficiently high fluorescence quantum yield for detection. BTTQ quantitatively detected BPA with high sensitivity (quantification limit of 10.27 µM), suitable for evaluating BNCT agents. In addition, BTTQ exhibited selective fluorescence for BPA over metal cations. Importantly, BTTQ enabled fluorescence microscopic imaging of intracellular BPA distribution in living cells co-stained with Hoechst 33342. These results suggest that BTTQ is a promising fluorescent probe for the evaluation of future BNCT agents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements and Emerging Applications of Fluorescent Probes for Sensing and Imaging)
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Review

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21 pages, 2240 KB  
Review
A Review of Fluorescent pH Probes: Ratiometric Strategies, Extreme pH Sensing, and Multifunctional Utility
by Weiqiao Xu, Zhenting Ma, Qixin Tian, Yuanqing Chen, Qiumei Jiang and Liang Fan
Chemosensors 2025, 13(8), 280; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors13080280 - 2 Aug 2025
Viewed by 552
Abstract
pH is a critical parameter requiring precise monitoring across scientific, industrial, and biological domains. Fluorescent pH probes offer a powerful alternative to traditional methods (e.g., electrodes, indicators), overcoming limitations in miniaturization, long-term stability, and electromagnetic interference. By utilizing photophysical mechanisms—including intramolecular charge transfer [...] Read more.
pH is a critical parameter requiring precise monitoring across scientific, industrial, and biological domains. Fluorescent pH probes offer a powerful alternative to traditional methods (e.g., electrodes, indicators), overcoming limitations in miniaturization, long-term stability, and electromagnetic interference. By utilizing photophysical mechanisms—including intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), photoinduced electron transfer (PET), and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)—these probes enable high-sensitivity, reusable, and biocompatible sensing. This review systematically details recent advances, categorizing probes by operational pH range: strongly acidic (0–3), weakly acidic (3–7), strongly alkaline (>12), weakly alkaline (7–11), near-neutral (6–8), and wide-dynamic range. Innovations such as ratiometric detection, organelle-specific targeting (lysosomes, mitochondria), smartphone colorimetry, and dual-analyte response (e.g., pH + Al3+/CN−) are highlighted. Applications span real-time cellular imaging (HeLa cells, zebrafish, mice), food quality assessment, environmental monitoring, and industrial diagnostics (e.g., concrete pH). Persistent challenges include extreme-pH sensing (notably alkalinity), photobleaching, dye leakage, and environmental resilience. Future research should prioritize broadening functional pH ranges, enhancing probe stability, and developing wide-range sensing strategies to advance deployment in commercial and industrial online monitoring platforms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements and Emerging Applications of Fluorescent Probes for Sensing and Imaging)
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37 pages, 6833 KB  
Review
Recent Advances in Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) Fluorescent Sensors for Biomolecule Detection
by Kavya S. Keremane, M. Gururaj Acharya, Praveen Naik, Chandi C. Malakar, Kai Wang and Bed Poudel
Chemosensors 2025, 13(5), 174; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors13050174 - 9 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1606
Abstract
Fluorescent sensors are indispensable tools in fields such as molecular biology, clinical diagnostics, biotechnology, and environmental monitoring, due to their high sensitivity, selectivity, biocompatibility, rapid response, and ease of use. However, conventional fluorophores often suffer from aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ), leading to diminished fluorescence [...] Read more.
Fluorescent sensors are indispensable tools in fields such as molecular biology, clinical diagnostics, biotechnology, and environmental monitoring, due to their high sensitivity, selectivity, biocompatibility, rapid response, and ease of use. However, conventional fluorophores often suffer from aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ), leading to diminished fluorescence in the aggregated state. The advent of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens, which exhibit enhanced fluorescence upon aggregation, offers a powerful solution to this limitation. Their unique photophysical properties have made AIE-based materials highly valuable for diverse applications, including biomedical imaging, optoelectronics, stimuli-responsive systems, drug delivery, and chemical sensing. Notably, AIE-based fluorescent probes are emerging as attractive alternatives to traditional analytical methods owing to their low cost, fast detection, and high selectivity. Over the past two decades, considerable progress has been made in the rational design and development of AIE-active small-molecule fluorescent probes for detecting a wide variety of analytes, such as biologically relevant molecules, drug compounds, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), explosives, and contaminants associated with forensic and food safety analysis. This review highlights recent advances in organic AIE-based fluorescent probes, beginning with the fundamentals of AIE and typical “turn-on” sensing mechanisms, and concluding with a discussion of current challenges and future opportunities in this rapidly evolving research area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements and Emerging Applications of Fluorescent Probes for Sensing and Imaging)
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