Ratiometric fluorescent probe with aggregation-induced emission features for monitoring HClO in living cells and zebra fish

Abstract

As the most important example of a reactive oxygen species (ROS), hypochlorous acid (HClO) is crucial for maintaining homeostasis in cells and plays a vital role in many physiological and pathological processes. Herein, we present an interesting ratiometric fluorescent probe, PTZ-HClO, with unique optical performance and aggregation-induced emission features, that can simultaneously detect HClO in a ratiometric manner. The fluorescence color of the PTZ-HClO probe changed from red to green upon the addition of HClO. With the aid of confocal microscopy, this probe enables the imaging of HClO in living cells and zebra fish in a ratiometric manner.