A near-infrared fluorescence probe based on the ICT (intramolecular charge transfer) mechanism for the detection of hydrogen peroxide in cells

Abstract

As one of the important components of active oxygen species, H₂O₂ (hydrogen peroxide) plays an important role in life activities. Many studies have shown that a high concentration of H₂O₂ can cause cell necrosis, resulting in oxidative stress and oxidative damage in the body, and then induce various diseases. The application of organic small molecule fluorescent probes in life sciences has attracted the attention of many researchers because of their advantages of being easy to obtain, high spatial and temporal resolution, little damage to biological samples and simple operation. In this study, a new hydrogen peroxide near infrared fluorescence probe JH was constructed using oxanthrene analogues as a molecular framework. The fluorescence emission wavelength of the probe is located in the near infrared region and has a large Stokes shift, which makes the probe less damaging to biological samples and gives lower background interference, which is conducive to improving the detection resolution. The probe can complete the response to H₂O₂ within 95 min with a low detection limit (4.72 μM), and the color of the solution changes from dark blue to light blue after the response, so H₂O₂ can be recognized by the naked eye without any tools. In addition, probe JH has been successfully used for the detection of H₂O₂ in cells, which is expected to become a tool for early diagnosis of diseases.