H2O2/HOCl-based fluorescent probes for dynamically monitoring pathophysiological processes

Abstract

Serving as representative reactive oxygen species (ROS), H₂O₂ and HOCl play crucial roles in biological metabolism and intercellular oxidation–reduction dynamic equilibrium. The overexpression of H₂O₂/HOCl may cause a variety of diseases, such as acute and chronic inflammation, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. A major question in H₂O₂/HOCl-based pathological diagnosis is knowing how H₂O₂/HOCl concentrations can be accurately regulated to initiate a diagnosis and subsequently guarantee therapeutic effects in the course of medical advances. Fluorescent probes, with their great spatial and temporal resolutions, have been used in diverse pathophysiological processes and developed rapidly in the last five years. We summarise in this review the optical properties of H₂O₂/HOCl-responsive fluorescent probes and focus on effective distribution and dynamic monitoring by using pathophysiological models.