Fluorescent Sensing of Tyrosinase Activity in Biological Systems
Summary
Tyrosinase is a copper-containing enzyme that catalyses the oxidation of phenolic substrates to quinones, a reaction central to melanin biosynthesis and implicated in neurological disorders, dermatological conditions and tumour progression. Fluorescent sensing approaches exploit the enzyme’s specific chemistry to convert non-fluorescent or weakly fluorescent precursors into emissive products, enabling real-time monitoring of tyrosinase activity in complex biological environments. Advances in molecular design have produced turn-on, ratiometric and near-infrared (NIR) probes with large Stokes shifts, high photostability and minimal background interference. Such probes facilitate quantitative assays in tissue culture, live-cell imaging and in vivo models, supporting early diagnosis of melanoma and investigation of oxidative pathways in neurodegeneration. Recent work has also emphasised compatibility with two-photon excitation for deeper tissue penetration and reduced phototoxicity. The global significance of these tools extends to high-throughput drug screening, environmental monitoring of phenolic pollutants and the study of enzymatic redox cycling in metabolic disorders.
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Fluorescent Sensing of Tyrosinase Activity in Biological Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in fluorescent sensing of tyrosinase activity in biological systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Tyrosinase: A type-III copper enzyme that oxidises monophenols and o-diphenols to quinones, central to melanin production.
Fluorescent probe: A molecule that emits light upon excitation, whose photophysical properties change in response to a specific analyte or enzyme.
Ratiometric sensing: A strategy using probes that provide two emission signals, allowing self-referencing and quantitative measurement independent of probe concentration.
Intramolecular charge transfer (ICT): An electronic transition within a molecule between donor and acceptor groups, often yielding large Stokes shifts and environmental sensitivity.
Aggregation-induced emission (AIE): A phenomenon where certain fluorophores become more emissive upon aggregation, applied to minimise background in biological media.
References
- New ICT-Based Ratiometric Two-Photon near Infrared Probe for Imaging Tyrosinase in Living Cells, Tissues, and Whole Organisms. Chemosensors (2023).
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