title: Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Complexes as AIE Phosphorescent Probes for Real-Time Monitoring of Mitophagy in Living Cells.
abstract: Mitophagy, which is a special autophagy that removes damaging mitochondria to maintain sufficient healthy mitochondria, provides an alternative path for addressing dysfunctional mitochondria and avoiding cellular death. In the present study, by coupling the triphenylamine group with 2-phenylimidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline derivatives, we synthesized five Ir(III) complexes with an AIE property that are expected to fulfill requirements for real-time monitoring of mitophagy. Ir1-Ir5 were exploited to image mitochondria with a short incubation time by confocal microscopy and inductive coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Due to aggregation-induced emission (AIE), Ir1-Ir5 exhibited excellent photostability compared to MitoTracker Green (MTG). Moreover, Ir1-Ir5 manifested satisfactory photostability in the mitochondrial physiological pH range. In addition, the uptake mechanism of Ir1 was investigated using confocal microscopy and flow cytometry analysis. Finally, using both Ir1 and LysoTracker Green, we were able to achieve real-time monitoring of mitophagy.
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Chengzhi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Jiangping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Ruilin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China.
authors.forename: Yanjiao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Liangnian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chao
mesh_terms: D000447:Aldehydes / Q000378:metabolism; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D056831:Coordination Complexes / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007495:Iridium / Q000737:chemistry*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D063306:Mitophagy / Q000502:physiology*; D010618:Phenanthrolines / Q000737:chemistry*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic
chemical_list: D000447:Aldehydes; D056831:Coordination Complexes; D010618:Phenanthrolines; C111472:mitotracker green FM; D007495:Iridium