An unconventional nano-AIEgen originating from a natural plant polyphenol for multicolor bioimaging

Lei Lu, Mengyao Yang, Youngseo Kim, Tingting Zhang, Nahyun Kwon, Haidong Li, Sungnam Park, Juyoung Yoon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Biocompatible aggregation-induced emission (AIE) materials from natural resources are of great interest for a variety of potential applications. Here, we report the unconventional AIE nature of the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is investigated by observing the disappearance and reoccurrence of fluorescence when EGCG is dissolved and recrystallized in aqueous solutions. The intermolecular through-space conjugation and structural rigidification induced by multiple intermolecular H-bonds play critical roles in the AIE phenomenon. This inspires the development of a multicolored, monodisperse, photostable, and non-toxic nano-AIE luminogen (nano-AIEgen), which is simply prepared by polyphenol-amine-based crosslinking in aqueous solutions, demonstrating great potential for living cell bioimaging. Our strategy to develop nano-AIEgens using AIE-active hydrophilic natural products—e.g., plant polyphenols, such as tannic acid, that exhibit similar AIE characteristics—can help push the boundary of the exploration of various novel, large-scale, biocompatible, water-soluble, and degradable AIE materials from natural resources.

Original languageEnglish
Article number100745
JournalCell Reports Physical Science
Volume3
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 16 Feb 2022

Keywords

  • AIE
  • EGCG
  • aggregation-induced emission
  • bioimaging
  • nano-AIEgen
  • natural products
  • polyphenols

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'An unconventional nano-AIEgen originating from a natural plant polyphenol for multicolor bioimaging'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this