A mitochondria-targeting near-infrared fluorescent probe for imaging hypochlorous acid in cells

Abstract Hypochlorous acid (HOCl), as an important reactive oxygen species (ROS), plays an important role in various pathological and physiological processes. Therefore, it is of great significance to identify and detect HOCl in organisms. Herein, a mitochondria-targeting near-Infrared fluorescent probe (CVS) has been designed and synthesized for sensing HOCl. Under simulated physiological conditions, CVS can be instantly oxidized by HOCl to CVS O and the fluorescence signal is significantly enhanced. Additionally, CVS shows high selectivity toward HOCl over other ROS and owns low detection limit (94.7 nM) for HOCl. Moreover, CVS can be successfully applied to image HOCl in mitochondria of the HepG2 cells. Thus, CVS is a powerful tool for sensing HOCl and provides a perspective method for further study of the physiological and pathological functions related to HOCl.