A fluorogenic probe with aggregation-induced emission characteristics for carboxylesterase assay through formation of supramolecular microfibers.

Herein, we report a novel fluorescent light-up probe useful for carboxylesterase assay that is based on a tetraphenylethylene derivative containing carboxylic ester groups. The specific cleavage of the carboxylic ester bonds by carboxylesterase results in the generation of a relatively hydrophobic moiety that self-assembles into supramolecular microfibers, thus giving rise to turn-on fluorescent signals. A high sensitivity towards carboxylesterase was achieved with a detection limit as low as 29pM, which is much lower than the corresponding assays based on other fluorescent approaches.