A Novel BODIPY-Dinitrophenylhydrazine "Off-On" Hypochlorite Ion Fluorescent Probe Based on ICT Mechanism

Hypochlorite (ClO^-) plays a crucial role as a significant biological substance in the body. In this work, a fluorescent probe BODIPY-DP was designed based on the ICT mechanism for the detection of ClO^-, using BODIPY as the fluorophore group and a C=N double bond linked to 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine as the recognition group. The fluorescence intensity of the probe shows a good linear relationship with ClO^- concentration, with a linear correlation coefficient (R²) of 0.9945 and a detection limit of 7.38 μM. BODIPY-DP was found to exhibit good selectivity toward ClO^-. The fluorescence intensity increases rapidly within 30 s after the addition of ClO^-. The spiked recoveries in the determination of ClO^- concentration in the disinfectant solutions were found to range from 93.8% to 108.0%. BODIPY-DP exhibits favorable cytocompatibility and proves highly effective for the detection of exogenous ClO^- in living HepG2 cells. The findings of this study provide a new means for revealing the role of ClO^- in biological processes.