Probing mitochondrial damage using a fluorescent probe with mitochondria-to-nucleolus translocation

Abstract

Mitochondrial damage is closely related to the occurrence of many diseases. However, accurate monitoring and reporting of mitochondrial damage are not easy. Here, we developed a small molecule fluorescent probe named CB-Cl, which has splendid spectral properties (large Stokes shift, strong affinity for RNA, etc.) and excellent targeting ability to intracellular mitochondria. After mitochondria were damaged by external stimuli, CB-Cl would light up the nucleolus as a signal reporter. The cascade imaging of mitochondria and nucleolus using CB-Cl can monitor and visualize the mitochondrial status in living cells in real-time. Based on the above advantages, the probe CB-Cl has reference significance for the related research of mitochondrial damage and the prevention and treatment of related diseases.