Recent Progress in Fluorescent Sensors for Drug-Induced Liver Injury Assessment

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a persistent concern in drug discovery and clinical medicine. The current clinical methods to assay DILI by analyzing the enzymes in serum are still not optimal. Recent studies showed that fluorescent sensors would be efficient tools for detecting the concentration and distribution of DILI indicators with high sensitivity and specificity, in real-time, in situ, and with low damage to biosamples, as well as diagnosing DILI. This review focuses on the assessment of DILI, introduces the current mechanisms of DILI, and summarizes the design strategies of fluorescent sensors for DILI indicators, including ions, small molecules, and related enzymes. Some challenges for developing DILI diagnostic fluorescent sensors are put forward. We believe that these design strategies and challenges to evaluate DILI will inspire chemists and give them opportunities to further develop other fluorescent sensors for accurate diagnoses and therapies for other diseases.

Automated summary

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a significant concern in drug discovery and clinical medicine, and current clinical methods for detecting DILI are not optimal. Recent studies suggest that fluorescent sensors could be efficient tools for detecting DILI indicators with high sensitivity and specificity, though there are challenges in developing diagnostic fluorescent sensors for DILI. The design strategies and challenges discussed in this review may inspire chemists to develop accurate diagnostic fluorescent sensors for other diseases.