Dual-site fluorescent probe for multi-response detection of ClO− and H2O2 and bio-imaging

Hypochlorite (ClO−) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) commonly coexist in organism and are involved in the same physiological and pathological processes. So it is of great importance to develop fluorescent probes to detect both simultaneously. Herein, we reported the first dual-site fluorescent probe (Geisha-1) for the quantitative detection of ClO− and H2O2. This probe is constructed by chemically grafting N,N-dimethylthiocarbamate and borate to a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) platform. As a result, Geisha-1 not only presents three different responses to ClO−, H2O2, and ClO− + H2O2 (the coexistence of ClO− and H2O2) with high sensitivity and selectivity, but also exhibits low toxicity and cell membrane and tissue permeability, and it was further successfully applied to image ClO− and H2O2 in living cells and tissues. Thus, Geisha-1 provides a promising application prospect in biological systems and an alternative strategy for the construction of dual-site fluorescent probes aiming at the multi-response detection of other biologically relevant analytes.