Monitoring Intestinal Health Condition Using 5-Hydroxytryptamine Activated Fluorescent Probe

The digestive system is one of the most essential systems of multicellular organisms. As an important part of the digestive system, the intestine plays a crucial role in the physiological activities of multicellular organisms. Therefore, intestinal health monitoring technology is vital to human health and animal husbandry. 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is closely related to many intestinal diseases, including bowel cancer and enteritis, and has great potential as a biomarker of intestinal health status. In this study, a fluorescent probe FHT was discovered. The probe has high selectivity and sensitivity to 5-HT (LOD = 0.22 μM). More importantly, imaging experiments in zebrafish and mice showed that 5-HT content was positively correlated with intestinal health status. Based on the probe, we developed a general visual intestinal health examination method, which provides a new tool for intestinal health monitoring.