Mitochondria-targeted fluorescence probe for endogenous hypochlorite imaging in living cells and zebrafishs

Abstract A BODIPY-based mitochondria-targeted fluorescent probe ( BODIPY-DMTC ) was synthesized for selective determination of hypochlorite (ClO − ) over other reactive oxygen species (ROS) or reactive nitrogen species (RNS). The phenolic hydroxyl protecting group dimethylthiocarbamates ( DMTC ) was introduced to BODIPY framework, specifically recognizing exogenous and endogenous ClO − by the “deprotection” of hydroxyl group. The response process was monitored in real-time by titration assays of mass spectra and 1 H NMR. The emission response of probe to ClO − presented a good linear relationship in 0–100  μ M concentration range, and the detection limit of 95 nM was observed. Also, the current probe was used to successfully visualize endogenous ClO − in zebrafish embryos.