Dual-Mode Detection of Bacterial 16S Ribosomal RNA in Tissues
Shengnan Xu, Qingyang Zhang, Xiaowan Han, Yali Wang, Xiang Wang, Marc Nazaré, Jian‐Dong Jiang, Hai‐Yu Hu
Abstract
The specific detection of pathogens has long been recognized as a vital strategy for controlling bacterial infections. Herein, a novel hydrophilic aromatic-imide-based thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) probe, AI–Cz–Neo, is designed and synthesized by the conjugation of a TADF emitter with a bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA-targeted moiety, neomycin. Biological data showed for the first time that AI–Cz–Neo could be successfully applied for the dual-mode detection of bacterial 16S rRNA using confocal fluorescence imaging and time-resolved fluorescence imaging (TRFI) in both cells and tissues. These findings greatly expand the application of TADF fluorophores in time-resolved biological imaging and provide a promising strategy for the precise and reliable diagnosis of bacterial infections based on the dual-mode imaging of bacterial 16S rRNA by fluorescence intensity and fluorescence lifetime.