A big blue-shift phenanthroline fluorescent probe with for detecting hypochlorous acid in live cells

Abstract

A small-molecule reactive oxygen species (ROS) called hypochlorous acid or hypochlorite (HClO/ClO−) plays important roles in both healthy physiological functions and the development of numerous illnesses. On the basis of the imidazo-1,10-phenanthroline skeleton, we have created a new probe for the detection of ClO−. The novel probe demonstrated high selectivity and sensitivity for the detection of ClO−. While other investigated analytes failed to elicit the fluorescence augmentation, the emission spectra after treatment with ClO− showed a dramatic alteration with an approximately 4-fold increase in fluorescence. The emission spectrum is also blue-shifted with a sizable Stokes shift (from 520 nm to 418 nm). In particular, the probe had a fast response time to ClO− (2 min) and a detection limit of up to 0.011 M. The probe could also capture images of HClO in the living cells. The above extraordinary properties illustrated that the probe was able to determine HClO in the living cells.