Pachaiyappan Murugan*, Fang Yang, Loganathan Praburaman, Vijayapoopathi Singaravel, Meivelu Moovendhan, Chitrarasu Manikandan, Shi-Yong Liu*

Cite this article: Chin. J. Struct. Chem., 2026, 45(3), 100813. DOI: 10.1016/j.cjsc.2025.100813

Publication date: March 1, 2026

Keywords: Cervical cancer Targeted HeLa cell imaging; Organic small-molecule; NIR fluorescent probes I & II; Activatable fluorescent probes; Multimodal imaging; Dual-locked probes

ABSTRACT

Organic near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores are being considered as next-gen tools for targeted imaging of HeLa cells and cervical cancer because they have less phototoxicity, less background autofluorescence, and better tissue penetration than traditional fluorophores. Through this review article, we have discussed how recent developments in rational molecular engineering have resulted in probes that are more attuned to particular tumor microenvironmental signals as viscosity, pH, reactive oxygen species, and enzyme overexpression. These probes are brighter, have larger Stokes shifts, and can be tuned through techniques like π-extension, donor-acceptor frameworks, heteroatom incorporation, and aggregation-induced emission algorithms. Potential platforms for image-guided therapy in cervical malignancies include BODIPY, carbazole, phenothiazine/phenoxazine, phenyl derivatives, and rhodamine/xanthene analogues. Early diagnosis, surgical guiding, and theranostic applications are just a few of the many uses for these platforms. Efforts within the scientific community to enhance clinical accuracy should focus on three key areas: (1) expanding the NIR-II window for fluorophore emission to improve tissue penetration and signal quality; (2) developing activatable probes specific to organelles; and (3) integrating these systems with cutting-edge optical imaging tools analysis. Nevertheless, there are still challenges to be solved, including issues with photostability, synthesis complexity, nonspecific interactions, water solubility, and gaps in the translation of results from preclinical models to human applications. These limitations must be overcome through systematic evaluation, scalable synthesis, and thorough safety profiling if organic NIR probes for imaging and treatment of cervical cancer can be quickly brought into clinical uses.