Perylene-Based Fluorescent Nanoprobe for Acid-Enhanced Detection of Formaldehyde in Lysosome

Formaldehyde (FA), as a reactive carbonyl species, is extremely hazardous to human health if its concentration is above normal level. In live cells, lysosome is a main organelle to generate endogenous FA. Thus, the design of facile, stable, and sensitive probes for the detection of FA in lysosome is essential. Herein, a self-assembled fluorescent nanoprobe based on homoallylamino substituted perylene (P-FA) has been developed for FA detection in lysosome. P-FA can react with FA along with emission color change from blue to green. P-FA exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity to FA in DMSO solution. In aqueous solution, P-FA self-assembled into uniform sphere-like nanoparticle as a fluorescent nanoprobe. Furthermore, the reaction between the nanoprobe and FA was greatly facilitated at pH 4-5, which led to a lower detection limit (0.96 μM at pH 5) than that in DMSO. In live cells, P-FA nanoprobe achieved long-term tracking of lysosome (over 12 h). The fluorescent nanoprobe was then used for both exogenous and endogenous FA detection. Our work provides a facile and effective strategy for the detection of FA in lysosome.