Dual-Response Fluorescent Probe for HOCl and Viscosity and Cell Imaging Application
摘要
Tracing the intracellular hypochlorite (ClO-) and viscosity is of significance because they may facilitate understanding the process of some related diseases. This work presents a malononitrile-based and 4-phenylthiomorpholine-functionalized fluorescent probe (MTP), which exhibits large Stokes shifts (58–128 nm) and deep red to near-infrared emission in commonly used solvents. MTP exhibits a selective fluorescence turn-on response to ClO- in CH3CN-PBS (10 mM, pH = 7.4, v/v = 4/6) buffer, with a low detection limit of 87.7 nM, fast response (15 s), and a broad pH scope. In addition, MTP also shows distinct fluorescence enhancement with the increasing amount of glycerol from 0 to 99%, showcasing the potential of tracing viscosity increment. Furthermore, MTP has been utilized in staining the living HeLa cells and monitoring the endogenous production of HOCl and viscosity enhancement by the fluorescence imaging method.