Deferasirox, an FDA-approved iron chelator, has gained increasing attention for use in anticancer and antimicrobial applications. Recent efforts by our group led to the identification of this core as an easy-to-visualize aggregation-induced emission platform, or AIEgen, that provides a therapeutic effect equivalent to deferasirox (J. Am. Chem. Soc.2021, 143, 3, 1278–1283). However, the emission wavelength of the first-generation system overlapped with that of Syto9, a green emissive dye used to indicate live cells. Here, we report a library of deferasirox derivatives with various fluorescence emission profiles designed to overcome this limitation. We propose referring to systems that show promise as both therapeutic and optical imaging agents as “illuminoceuticals”. The color differences between the derivatives were observable to the unaided eye (solid- and solution-state) and were in accord with the Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity diagram 1913. Each fluorescent derivative successfully imaged the respective spherical and rod shapes of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. They also displayed iron-dependent antibiotic activity. Three derivatives, ExNMe₂ (3), ExTrisT (11), and ExDCM (13), display emission features that are sufficiently distinct so as to permit the multiplex (triplex) imaging of both MRSA and P. aeruginosavia stimulated emission depletion microscopy. The present deferasirox derivatives allowed for the construction of a multi-fluorophore sensor array. This array enabled the successful discrimination between Gram-positive/Gram-negative and drug-sensitive/drug-resistant bacteria. Antibiotic sensitivity and drug-resistant mutants from clinically isolated strains could also be identified and differentiated.

中文翻译：

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调整铁螯合剂地拉罗司的固态和溶液态荧光

Deferasirox 是一种 FDA 批准的铁螯合剂，在抗癌和抗菌应用中的应用越来越受到关注。我们小组最近的努力导致将该核心识别为易于可视化的聚集诱导发射平台，或 AIEgen，其提供与地拉罗司相当的治疗效果 ( J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021 , 143, 3, 1278–1283)。然而，第一代系统的发射波长与 Syto9 的发射波长重叠，Syto9 是一种用于指示活细胞的绿色发射染料。在这里，我们报告了一个具有各种荧光发射曲线的地拉罗司衍生物库，旨在克服这一限制。我们建议将显示出作为治疗和光学成像剂的前景的系统称为“照明剂”。衍生物之间的色差可以用肉眼（固态和溶液状态）观察到，并且与 1913 年国际照明委员会 (CIE) 色度图一致。每个荧光衍生物都成功地成像了各自的球形和棒形耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌(MRSA) 和铜绿假单胞菌. 它们还表现出铁依赖性抗生素活性。三种衍生物，ExNMe ₂ ( 3 )、ExTrisT ( 11 ) 和ExDCM ( 13 )，显示出足够不同的发射特征，从而允许通过 MRSA 和铜绿假单胞菌进行多重（三重）成像受激发射耗尽显微镜。本发明的地拉罗司衍生物允许构建多荧光团传感器阵列。该阵列能够成功区分革兰氏阳性/革兰氏阴性和药物敏感/耐药细菌。还可以鉴定和区分来自临床分离菌株的抗生素敏感性和耐药突变体。