A novel ratiometric fluorescent probe for highly sensitive and selective detection of peroxynitrite and its application for tracing endogenous peroxynitrite in live cells

Abstract

Peroxynitrite (ONOO⁻) is a reactive and short-lived biological oxidant endogenously generated in biosystems, and its excessive production is related to various diseases. However, the functional mechanisms of ONOO⁻ are not fully understood. Here, we present a novel ratiometric fluorescent probe CPD-ratio for the accurate detection of ONOO⁻ under single wavelength excitation. This study showed that the probe CPD-ratio can achieve the ratiometric detection of ONOO⁻ with rapid response, and it possessed excellent selectivity and sensitivity (detection limit was calculated to be 47 nM). These properties and its non-toxicity demonstrated that probe CPD-ratio could be potentially employed to accurately monitor ONOO⁻ levels in biological systems. We have thoroughly demonstrated the utility of the probe CPD-ratio for ratiometric bioimaging, because it has been effectively used to trace the exogenous and endogenous ONOO⁻ in live cells.