Reaction-Based Color-Convertible Fluorescent Probe for Ferroptosis Identification

Ferroptosis is an iron-mediated, caspase-independent pathway of cell death that is accompanied with the accumulations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxygenases, as well as being involved in many other pathophysiological procedures. However, specific and rapid monitoring of ferroptosis in living cells or tissues has not been achieved so far. Herein, a quinoxalinone-based fluorescent probe (termed as Quinos-4, or QS-4) with a reactive aromatic thioether moiety was designed for ferroptosis identification. Upon exposing it to high levels of ROS and hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1), which are considered as the biochemical characteristics of ferroptosis, QS-4 could be oxidized into a sulfoxide derivative (QSO-4) and its original aggregation-induced enhanced red fluorescence emission could be converted to green fluorescence emission sharply. On the basis of this unique reaction-induced color conversion, this molecular probe can be employed for identifying the occurrence of ferroptosis both in vitro and in vivo.