Application of aggregation-induced emission materials in gastrointestinal diseases

Figure 1 Aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) overcomes the aggregation-caused fluorescence quenching effect, enhancing luminescence efficiency at high concentrations. Upon light exposure, they generate reactive oxygen species through a series of reaction processes. A: The common fluorescent dye fluorescein exhibits fluorescence quenching in the aggregated state, while the classic aggregation-induced emission (AIE) molecule tetraphenylethylene overcomes the aggregation-caused fluorescence quenching effect and shows enhanced fluorescence at high concentrations; B: AIEgens generate various reactive oxygen species upon light irradiation. AIEgens: Aggregation-induced emission luminogens; AuNPs: Gold nanoparticles; TPE: Tetraphenylethylene; ACQ: Aggregation-induced fluorescence quenching. Created in Figdraw, and the compound structures were drawn using KingDraw.

Figure 2 Dual-correspondence system based on gold nanoparticles and aggregation-induced emission luminogens enhances detection of gastrointestinal pathogens. Due to the aggregation of gold nanoparticles, the colorimetric signal increases, while the fluorescence signal of aggregation-induced emission luminogens decreases due to the inner filter effect, resulting in a bidirectional complementary colorimetric/fluorescent signal response. When combined, they exhibit a more sensitive bimodal immunoassay. AIEgens: Aggregation-induced emission luminogens; AuNPs: Gold nanoparticles. Created in Figdraw.

Figure 3 Aggregation-induced emission luminogens detect inflammatory bowel disease by intestinal barrier damage or targeting inflammatory markers. After oral administration, aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) pass through the mucosal layer through the damaged intestinal barrier site. ¹AIEgens spontaneously aggregate and are retained. ²AIEgens track macrophages, aggregate, and are retained at the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) site. Fluorescence indicates the IBD site after illumination. AIEgens: Aggregation-induced emission luminogens; IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease. Created in Figdraw.

Figure 4 Aggregation-induced emission luminogens treatment of tumor processes by photodynamic therapy and cancer cell damage triggered by generation of reactive oxygen species. A: The process and principle of photodynamic therapy for tumor treatment; B: Aggregation-induced emission photosensitizers accumulate in tumor cells and generate reactive oxygen species to kill tumor cells after illumination. AIEgens: Aggregation-induced emission luminogens; PSs: Photosensitizers; ROS: Reactive oxygen species. Created in Figdraw.

Figure 5 Combination of aggregation-induced emission luminogens with multiple therapies to improve the effectiveness of aggregation-induced emission luminogens in gastrointestinal diseases. AIEgens: Aggregation-induced emission luminogens; TPE: Tetraphenylethylene; GC: Gastric carcinoma; CRC: Colorectal cancer; E. coli: Escherichia coli; OSCC: Oral squamous cell carcinoma. The compound structures were drawn using KingDraw.