A selective fluorescent probe derived from benzo[d]imidazole for carbon dioxide detection and bioimaging

Abstract

In this work, a benzo[d]imidazole-derived fluorescent probe, DCBIF, was developed for the carbon dioxide (CO2) detection and imaging in living lung cells. On the basis of investigating previous reports and modifying the test method, the in-solution experiments showed that DCBIF exhibited the fluorescence response at 420 nm to CO2 under the excitation of 350 nm. The response was steady and rapid in physiological conditions. The linear range of the detecting system covered the practical necessity, and the limit of detection was 0.002 mL/min. There were few reports for detecting CO2 depicted the intracellular imaging while the cells were not pulmonary. Herein, in all the tested groups including oxygen-rich, hypoxia, and hypoxia recovered, DCBIF realized the imaging of the CO2 level in living A549 lung cells. This work was meaningful for developing fluorescent implements and imaging scenarios.