A robust camphor-based colorimetric and fluormetric dual-modal probe with a large Stokes shift for real-time monitoring of endogenous labile Fe2+ in vivo and in vitro

Abstract

Fe2+ plays a critical role in many physiological processes in the human body. The abnormal level of Fe2+ is implicated in a variety of diseases ranging from anemia to heart failure and even cancer. Herein, a new camphor-derived colorimetric and fluormetric dual-modal probe CCO was constructed for real-time monitoring and imaging of Fe2+ in vitro and vivo. The probe CCO manifested excellent selectivity, superior sensitivity (LOD = 8.3 nM), large Stokes shift (~208 nm), rapid reaction time (<40 s), and remarkable “turn-on” fluorescence response (~21-fold) toward Fe2+ in aqueous solution. With this probe in hand, it is feasible to image the labile Fe2+ supplementation and depletion in living cells. Moreover, this probe was successfully applied to visualize labile Fe2+ generation in living cells and zebrafish larvae under ferroptosis model, which would provide a highly effective tool for in-depth understanding its physiological and pathological functions.