2. Academic Validation
  3. A rationally designed fluorescence probe achieves highly specific and long-term detection of senescence in vitro and in vivo

A rationally designed fluorescence probe achieves highly specific and long-term detection of senescence in vitro and in vivo

  • Aging Cell. 2023 Jun 13;e13896. doi: 10.1111/acel.13896.
Li Hu 1 2 3,  Chanjuan Dong 4,  Zhe Wang 5,  Shengyuan He 4,  Yiwen Yang 5,  Meiting Zi 1 2,  Huiqin Li 1 2,  Yanghuan Zhang 6,  Chuanjie Chen 3 4,  Runzi Zheng 6,  Shuting Jia 6,  Jing Liu 6,  Xuan Zhang 3 4 5,  Yonghan He 1 2 3
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Key Laboratory of Healthy Aging Research of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.
  • 2 State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.
  • 3 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
  • 4 Drug Discovery & Development Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
  • 5 School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
  • 6 Laboratory of Molecular Genetics of Aging and Tumor, Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China.
PMID: 37312431 DOI: 10.1111/acel.13896
Abstract

Senescent cells (SnCs) are implicated in aging and various age-related pathologies. Targeting SnCs can treat age-related diseases and extend health span. However, precisely tracking and visualizing of SnCs is still challenging, especially in in vivo environments. Here, we developed a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe (XZ1208) that targets β-galactosidase (β-Gal), a well-accepted biomarker for cellular senescence. XZ1208 can be cleaved rapidly by β-Gal and produces a strong fluorescence signal in SnCs. We demonstrated the high specificity and sensitivity of XZ1208 in labeling SnCs in naturally aged, total body irradiated (TBI), and progeroid mouse models. XZ1208 achieved a long-term duration of over 6 days in labeling senescence without causing significant toxicities and accurately detected the senolytic effects of ABT263 on eliminating SnCs. Furthermore, XZ1208 was applied to monitor SnCs accumulated in fibrotic diseases and skin wound healing models. Overall, we developed a tissue-infiltrating NIR probe and demonstrated its excellent performance in labeling SnCs in aging and senescence-associated disease models, indicating great potential for application in aging studies and diagnosis of senescence-associated diseases.

Keywords

aging; fibrosis; near-infrared probe; senescent cells; β-galactosidase.

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