Design of a ROS-responsive fluorescent probe for the diagnosis and imaging of breast cancer

At present, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are a common treatment for breast cancer, but they will attack normal cells and cancer cells indiscriminately, resulting in a series of serious adverse reactions such as immune system damage, bone marrow suppression, and digestive system damage. Here, we have developed a fluorescent probe (Rhod-ben) that can achieve diagnosis and imaging in breast cancer tissue. The mechanism is as follows: (1) In mitochondria overexpressing ROS (reactive oxygen species), HRhod-ben (non-fluorescent) is oxidized to Rhod-ben (fluorescent), thereby achieving mitochondrial localization in breast cancer cells. (2) Under green light (λ ∼ 550 nm), the CO bond in Rhod ben is broken, thus releasing the anticancer drug (bendamostatin) targeted in breast cancer cells. Therefore, Rhod-ben is expected to become a new “diagnosis and imaging” fluorescent probe for breast cancer cells or cancer cells with ROS overexpression.