Polysiloxane-Based Fluorescent Probes for Visualizing pH and Thiocyanate during Mitochondrial Autophagy

Area of Science:

• Cell Biology
• Biochemistry
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Mitophagy is essential for mitochondrial quality control and cellular health.
• Mitochondrial pH and thiocyanate (SCN-) imbalance can cause dysfunction and damage.
• Simultaneous detection of mitochondrial pH and SCN- is currently limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel fluorescent probe for simultaneous mitochondrial pH and SCN- detection.
• To investigate the probe's efficacy in visualizing pH changes during mitophagy.
• To establish a new strategy for designing dual-responsive fluorescent probes.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a polysiloxane-based fluorescent probe (P0-CMN).
• Evaluation of P0-CMN's mitochondrial targeting, sensitivity, and dual-channel detection capabilities.
• Application of P0-CMN to visualize pH dynamics during mitophagy.

Main Results:

• P0-CMN exhibits excellent mitochondrial targeting and sensitivity to both pH and SCN-.
• The probe successfully achieved simultaneous, dual-channel monitoring of mitochondrial pH and SCN-.
• P0-CMN effectively visualized pH fluctuations during the process of mitochondrial autophagy.

Conclusions:

• P0-CMN provides an effective tool for simultaneous detection of mitochondrial pH and SCN-.
• This probe facilitates the study of mitophagy and mitochondrial homeostasis.
• The work offers a valuable strategy for developing advanced dual-responsive fluorescent probes.