A NIR fluorescent probe for the specific detection of hypochlorite and its application in vitro and in vivo

• Published in: Analytical methods Vol. 14; no. 22; pp. 2147 - 2152
• Main Authors: Zhen, Lu, Lan, Jinshuai, Zhang, Shengan, Liu, Li, Zeng, Ruifeng, Chen, Yi, Ding, Yue
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 09.06.2022
• Subjects: Biocompatibility; Charge transfer; Cytotoxicity; Fluorescence; Fluorescent indicators; High-performance liquid chromatography; Liquid chromatography; Selectivity; Toxicity; Water analysis; Water sampling; Zebrafish
• ISSN: 1759-9660; 1759-9679
• DOI: 10.1039/d2ay00561a

It is of great necessity to exploit a real-time, highly selective and sensitive method for hypochlorite (ClO ) detection in both the environment and living systems because of the complex influence of ClO on health. In this paper, based on the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) effect, a NIR fluorescent probe (probe DAB) was designed for the accurate detection of ClO , which produced a fluorescence response to ClO with high selectivity and rapid response (within 1 min). The probe DAB could determine ClO over the linear range of 0-80 μM with a low detection limit of 1.46 μM. And the sensing mechanism between the probe and ClO was verified using HPLC and MS. To further prove its practicability, the probe was applied for detecting ClO in actual water samples. In addition, owing to its good sensing properties and low cytotoxicity, probe DAB could be expediently applied to visualize ClO in living cells and zebrafish, and it is expected to be a useful tool for investigating the detailed functions and mechanisms of ClO in living systems.