Inspired by nature: bioluminescent systems for bioimaging applications

Bioluminescence is a natural process where biological organisms produce light through chemical reactions. These reactions predominantly occur between small-molecule substrates and luciferase within bioluminescent organisms. Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) has shown significant potential in biomedical research owing to its non-invasive, real-time observation and quantification. In this review, we introduced the chemical mechanism of bioluminescent systems and categorized several strategies that successfully addressed the native limitations, including improvements on the chemical structures of luciferase-luciferin bioluminescence system and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) methods. In addition, we also reviewed and summarized recent advances in bioimaging applications. We hope that this review can provide effective guidance for the development and application of bioluminescent systems in the field of bioimaging.