Illuminating sub-cellular organelles by small molecule AIEgens

Abstract

Sub-cellular organelles play a critical role in myriads of biological phenomena. Consequently, organelle structures and functions are invariably highjacked in diverse diseases including metabolic disorders, aging, and cancer. Hence, illuminating the organelle dynamics is extremely crucial in understanding the diseased states as well as developing organelle-targeted next generation therapeutics. In this review, we outline the novel small molecules which show remarkable aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties due to the restriction in the intramolecular motion (RIM). We outlined the examples of small molecules developed to image organelles like mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Golgi, lysosomes, nucleus, cell membrane and lipid droplets. These AIEgens have a tremendous potential towards next-generation phototherapy.