A simple rhodamine hydrazide-based turn-on fluorescent probe for HOCl detection

Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) plays a crucial role in daily life and mediates a variety of physiological processes, however, abnormal levels of HOCl have been associated with numerous human diseases. It is therefore of significant interest to establish a simple, selective, rapid and sensitive fluorogenic method for the detection of HOCl in environmental and biological samples. A hydrazide-containing fluorescent probe based on a rhodamine scaffold was facilely developed that could selectively detect HOCl over other biologically relevant reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species and most common metal ions in vitro. Via an irreversible oxidation-hydrolysis mechanism, and upon HOCl-triggered opening of the intramolecular spirocyclic ring during detection, the rhodamine hydrazide-based probe exhibited large fluorescence enhancement in the emission spectra with a fast response, low detection limit and comparatively wide pH detection range in aqueous media. The probe was further successfully applied to monitoring trace HOCl in tap water and imaging both exogenous and endogenous HOCl within living cells. It is anticipated that this simple and useful probe might be an efficient tool with which to facilitate more HOCl-related chemical and biological research. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.