| Summary: | Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are pivotal signaling molecules that control a variety of physiological functions. As a member of the ROS family, peroxynitrite (ONOO<sup>−</sup>) possesses strong oxidation and nitrification abilities. Abnormally elevated levels of ONOO<sup>−</sup> can lead to cellular oxidative stress, which may cause several diseases. In this work, based on the rhodamine fluorophore, we designed and synthesized a novel small-molecule fluorescent probe (<b>DH-1</b>) for ONOO<sup>−</sup>. Upon reaction with ONOO<sup>−</sup>, <b>DH-1</b> exhibited a significant fluorescence signal enhancement (approximately 34-fold). Moreover, <b>DH-1</b> showed an excellent mitochondria-targeting capability. Confocal fluorescence imaging validated its ability to detect ONOO<sup>−</sup> changes in HeLa and RAW264.7 cells. Notably, we observed the ONOO<sup>−</sup> generation during the ferroptosis process by taking advantage of the probe. <b>DH-1</b> displayed good biocompatibility, facile synthesis, and high selectivity, and may have potential applications in the study of ONOO<sup>−</sup>-associated diseases in biosystems.
|
|---|