Abstract
The light emission chemistry of firefly luciferase can be harnessed to reveal otherwise invisible biological processes occurring in the brains of live animals. Though powerful, the need for the luciferase substrate D-luciferin to traverse the blood-brain barrier poses limitations on the sensitivity and interpretation of these experiments. In this Viewpoint, we discuss bioluminescent imaging probes for the enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and the broader implications for optical imaging and drug delivery in the brain.
Keywords:
FAAH; bioluminescence imaging; blood-brain barrier; drug delivery; luciferase; luciferin.
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
MeSH terms
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Amidohydrolases / chemistry
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Animals
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Benzothiazoles / chemistry*
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Benzothiazoles / pharmacokinetics*
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Blood-Brain Barrier / metabolism
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Brain / drug effects
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Brain / metabolism
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Capillary Permeability
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Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry*
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Fluorescent Dyes / pharmacokinetics*
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Luciferases, Firefly / chemistry
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Luciferases, Firefly / genetics
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Luciferases, Firefly / metabolism
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Luminescent Measurements
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Mice
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Molecular Structure
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Optical Imaging
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Photochemical Processes
Substances
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Benzothiazoles
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D-luciferin
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Fluorescent Dyes
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Luciferases, Firefly
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Amidohydrolases
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fatty-acid amide hydrolase