Tang_2025_Luminescence_40_e70325

Herein, a pyridine-imidazole-modified fluorescent probe named PIM-CarE was developed for monitoring carboxylesterase levels during inflammation. The modification on the fluorophore to form an ortho-pattern resulted in an obvious fluorescence intensity enhancement compared to the para-/meta-fluorophores. The fluorescence reporting intensity at 485 nm exhibited a dose-dependent enhancement with the increase of the CarE level under excitation at 310 nm. The advantages included a practical linear range, relatively high sensitivity, and stable optical performance in various working conditions, including pH, incubation time, and temperature. The probe also showed high selectivity and low cytotoxicity. Furthermore, as a challenging trial, PIM-CarE achieved monitoring of inflammation regulation in macrophages, with both the generation and treatment processes covered. The information here was meaningful for inflammation regulation investigations in the entire departments.