A novel dual-site ICT/AIE fluorescent probe for detecting hypochlorite and polarity in living cells

Abstract

A novel dual-site fluorescent probe (CTPA) was rationally designed and synthesized for the detection of hypochlorite (ClO⁻) and polarity. CTPA displayed an excellent sensitivity (LOD = 11.9 nM) and selectivity as well as a rapid response within 30 s to ClO⁻. Besides, it is worth noting that the introduction of triphenylamine into the D–π–A structure is beneficial to monitor the fluctuation of polarity. It was found that CTPA could respond to polarity fluctuation via the two channels of fluorescence intensity and maximum emission wavelength. In addition, CTPA exhibited low toxicity and was successfully applied to detect the endogenous and exogenous ClO⁻ in HeLa cells and HIN-3T3 cells and distinguish the two kinds of cells by ClO⁻ and polarity. Furthermore, this work provides a promising strategy for the development of dual-site fluorescent probes aiming at the detection of biologically relevant analytes by the collocation of recognizing groups.