A novel fluorescent probe with tailored properties for ozone: Applications in on-site environmental monitoring and real-time bioimaging in Parkinson’s disease models

Abstract

Ozone (O3) is not only a widespread environmental contaminant at the troposphere or ground level, but also a significant reactive oxygen species (ROS) in vivo that participates in numerous physiological processes. Overexposure of O3 can lead to worsening of neurological diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (PD). Therefore, it is highly desirable to track O3 both in the environment and in vivo. In this work, we rationally designed and synthesized a novel coumarin-based ratiometric and mitochondria-targeting fluorescent probe, namely DPC-O3, for the recognition of O3 with high sensitivity and selectivity. In the environmental system, DPC-O3-doped fluorescent test strips were successfully prepared that allowed on-site detection of O3 in air samples by portable smartphone platform. In the biological systems, probe DPC-O3 can firstly accumulate in mitochondria and then migrate to lipid droplets after treatment of O3. Tracking of O3 was successfully achieved in the models of cellular inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction. In addition, DPC-O3 was also successfully used to monitor O3 levels in the PD zebrafish model, firstly demonstrating a positive correlation between the fluctuation of endogenous O3 and PD. Hopefully, probe DPC-O3 could be a beneficial tool that may further implicate the potential for further exploration on O3-releated environmental and pathological processes.