Recent Advances on Iron(III) Selective Fluorescent Probes with Possible Applications in Bioimaging

Iron(III) is well-known to play a vital role in a variety of metabolic processes in almost all living systems, including the human body. However, the excess or deficiency of Fe³⁺ from the normal permissible limit can cause serious health problems. Therefore, novel analytical methods are developed for the simple, direct, and cost-effective monitoring of Fe³⁺ concentration in various environmental and biological samples. Because of the high selectivity and sensitivity, fast response time, and simplicity, the fluorescent-based molecular probes have been developed extensively in the past few decades to detect Fe³⁺. This review was narrated to summarize the Fe³⁺-selective fluorescent probes that show fluorescence enhancement (turn-on) and ratiometric response. The Fe³⁺ sensing ability, mechanisms along with the analytical novelties of recently reported 77 fluorescent probes are discussed.