A NIR fluorescent probe for the specific detection of hypochlorite and its application in vitro and in vivo

It is of great necessity to exploit a real-time, highly selective and sensitive method for hypochlorite (ClO^-) detection in both the environment and living systems because of the complex influence of ClO^- on health. In this paper, based on the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) effect, a NIR fluorescent probe (probe DAB) was designed for the accurate detection of ClO^-, which produced a fluorescence response to ClO^- with high selectivity and rapid response (within 1 min). The probe DAB could determine ClO^- over the linear range of 0-80 μM with a low detection limit of 1.46 μM. And the sensing mechanism between the probe and ClO^- was verified using HPLC and MS. To further prove its practicability, the probe was applied for detecting ClO^- in actual water samples. In addition, owing to its good sensing properties and low cytotoxicity, probe DAB could be expediently applied to visualize ClO^- in living cells and zebrafish, and it is expected to be a useful tool for investigating the detailed functions and mechanisms of ClO^- in living systems.