Reversible FRET Fluorescent Probe for Ratiometric Tracking of Endogenous Fe3+ in Ferroptosis

A reversible fluorescent probe DRhFe is devised by linking spirolactam rhodamine and dansylamide through an Fe3+ ionophore N2-hydroxyethyldiethylenetriamine, where Fe3+ chelation generating rhodamine B can switch intramolecular fluorescence resonance energy transfer for ratiometric Fe3+ sensing. Probe DRhFe exhibits an Fe3+-specific emission shift from 483 to 576 nm, and this ratiometric response has been successfully applied to monitor labile Fe3+ fluctuations in cells undergoing ferroptosis.