Cellular Redox Regulation and Fluorescence Imaging

Abstract

Cellular redox homeostasis governs numerous essential biological processes and presents broad implications in human health and diseases. Cells maintain the redox homeostasis by expression of some types of oxidants, reductants, and redox-active metals, while processing elaborate mechanisms to regulate their internal redox status. These biomolecules can serve as biomarkers to identify the alterations in redox status. The cellular redox dysregulation indicates a crucial pathogenic mechanism in conditions such as inflammatory diseases, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders. Consequently, exploring the self-regulatory mechanisms of cellular redox homeostasis and in situ imaging of redox changes have emerged as key research focuses. In this review, we focus on the biomolecules involved in redox maintenance and highlight their detailed regulatory mechanisms. Moreover, we systematically review recent progress in fluorescent probes responsive to biomarkers of redox changes, primarily over the past five years, including their design principles, reaction mechanisms, and bioimaging applications in redox-related diseases. This review concludes with a discussion of the challenges and prospects for redox regulation and imaging in the therapeutics and diagnostics of human diseases. We hope it can serve as a valuable resource for those interested in this rapidly expanding research field.