Advances in fluorescent sensors for β-galactosidase

Abstract

β-galactosidase (β-Gal), a lysosomal hydrolytic enzyme, plays a significant role in the catalytic hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds, which transforms lactose into galactose. The abnormality of β-Gal in cells is associated with many diseases such as ganglioside deposition, primary ovarian cancer, and also the occurrence of cell senescence. In the past few years, great efforts have been made towards the detection of β-Gal activity in vivo based on fluorescent sensors due to their high sensitivity, selectivity and spatiotemporal resolution imaging. This minireview summarizes the advances in the molecular design strategy and biological applications of fluorescent probes for β-Gal, focusing on detection accuracy enhancement, especially with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) for background minimization and cell permeability promotion. The current challenges and further directions in tracing β-Gal are also discussed.