A Novel Fluorescent Probe Strategy Activated by β‑Glucuronidase for Assisting Surgical Resection of Liver Cancer

Liver cancer is a primary malignant tumor with a very high fatality rate, which has seriously threatened human health and life. In normal hepatocellular lesions, β-glucuronidase (GLU) activity in liver cancer tissues is significantly increased. Therefore, GLU has become one of the important biomarkers of primary liver cancer. Here, a series of fluorescent probes (DCDH, DCDCH 3 , DCDOCH 3 , and DCDNO 2 ) for early diagnosis of liver cancer and auxiliary surgical resection were successfully synthesized. Since the electron-withdrawing group −NO2 connected to the probe DCDNO 2 accelerates the rapid cleavage of the glycosidic bond, DCDNO 2 exhibits superior fluorescence properties that are more sensitive and rapid than the other three probes DCDH, DCDCH 3 , and DCDOCH 3 when detecting GLU. DCDNO 2 has been well-applied in real-time fluorescent visualization imaging for the detection of GLU activity in liver cancer cells and tumor tissues. In addition, DCDNO 2 has also been successfully used in the early diagnosis of liver cancer and real-time imaging to guide the surgical resection of liver cancer tumors. Therefore, DCDNO 2 has great potential for development in bioclinical medicine for the early detection and treatment of liver cancer.