Research on the Application of Fluorescent Probes in Revealing the Mechanism of Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Despite being a key treatment for ischemic strokea brain injury with high incidence, mortality, disability, and recurrence ratesreperfusion therapy can cause secondary cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI). During the course of CIRI, a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) burst out, causing cellular redox imbalance, followed by cellular oxidative stress, and ultimately leading to neuronal death. ROS and reactive sulfur species (RSS) are two important oxidizing and reducing substances in the body, playing a significant role in regulating redox homeostasis. Therefore, real-time monitoring of their levels and dynamic changes can provide effective strategies for alleviating CIRI. However, organic small molecule probes have deficiencies in selectivity and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, making real-time monitoring of active species changes during CIRI in the brain more difficult. Therefore, this review summarizes the application and research progress of organic small molecule fluorescent probes in the field of CIRI in the past five years, and classifies them according to design strategies, which is expected to provide guidance for the subsequent development of organic small molecule fluorescent probes for CIRI and expand their application in the biomedical field.