Bifunctional fluorescent probes for detection of amyloid aggregates and reactive oxygen species

Protein aggregation into amyloid deposits and oxidative stress are key features of many neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. We report here the creation of four highly sensitive bifunctional fluorescent probes, capable of H₂O₂ and/or amyloid aggregate detection. These bifunctional sensors use a benzothiazole core for amyloid localization and boronic ester oxidation to specifically detect H₂O₂. We characterized the optical properties of these probes using both bulk fluorescence measurements and single-aggregate fluorescence imaging, and quantify changes in their fluorescence properties upon addition of amyloid aggregates of α-synuclein and pathophysiological H₂O₂ concentrations. Our results indicate these new probes will be useful to detect and monitor neurodegenerative disease.