Design of a novel mitochondria targetable turn-on fluorescence probe for hydrogen peroxide and its two-photon bioimaging applications

Considering that hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) plays significant roles in oxidative stress, the cellular signal transduction and essential biological process regulation, the detection and imaging of H₂O₂ in living systems undertakes critical responsibility. Herein, we have developed a novel two-photon fluorescence turn on probe, named as Pyp-B for mitochondria H₂O₂ detection in living systems. Selectivity studies show that probe Pyp-B exhibit highly sensitive response toward H₂O₂ than other reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) as well as biologically relevant species. The fluorescence colocalization studies demonstrate that the probe can localize in the mitochondria solely. Furthermore, as a bio-compatibility molecule, the highly selective and sensitive of fluorescence probe Pyp-B have been confirmed by its cell imaging application of H₂O₂ in living A549 cells and zebrafishes under the physiological conditions.     

Supramolecular Fluorescent Nanoparticles Constructed via Multiple Non‐Covalent Interactions for the Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide in Cancer Cells

Overabundance of hydrogen peroxide originating from environmental stress and/or genetic mutation can lead to pathological conditions. Thus, the highly sensitive detection of H₂O₂ is important. Herein, supramolecular fluorescent nanoparticles self‐assembled from fluorescein isothiocyanate modified β‐cyclodextrin (FITC‐β‐CD)/rhodamine B modified ferrocene (Fc‐RB) amphiphile were prepared through host–guest interaction between FITC‐β‐CD host and Fc‐RB guest for H₂O₂ detection in cancer cells. The self‐assembled nanoparticles based on a combination of multiple non‐covalent interactions in aqueous medium showed high sensitivity to H₂O₂ while maintaining stability under physiological condition. Owing to the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) effect, addition of H₂O₂ led to obvious fluorescence change of nanoparticles from red (RB) to green (FITC) in fluorescent experiments. In vitro study showed the fluorescent nanoparticles could be efficiently internalized by cancer cells and then disrupted by endogenous H₂O₂, accompanying with FRET from “on” to “off”. These supramolecular fluorescent nanoparticles constructed via multiple non‐covalent interactions are expected to have potential applications in diagnosis and imaging of diseases caused by oxidative stresses.     

Fluorometry of hydrogen peroxide using oxidative decomposition of folic acid

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is one of the most important reactive oxygen species. In the present study, a fluorometry method for detecting H₂O₂ utilizing folic acid was evaluated. Folic acid was decomposed by H₂O₂ in the presence of Cu(II) into pterine-6-carboxylic acid, leading to strong fluorescence enhancement. In the absence of the metal ion, superoxide and H₂O₂ could not decompose folic acid. Also, H₂O₂ plus sodium hypochlorite (a source of singlet oxygen) could not induce fluorescence enhancement. These results demonstrate that H₂O₂ can be selectively detected using folic acid plus Cu(II). The limit of detection (LOD; at S/N=3) for H₂O₂ is 0.5 μM. This method based on the fluorescence enhancement of folic acid was applied in order to determine small amounts of H₂O₂ generated through the autooxidation of semicarbazide (generation rate: ∼0.01 μM min⁻¹), a carcinogenic compound.      

A 3,7‐Dihydroxyphenoxazine‐based Fluorescent Probe for Selective Detection of Intracellular Hydrogen Peroxide

A novel N‐borylbenzyloxycarbonyl‐3,7‐dihydroxyphenoxazine fluorescent probe (NBCD) for detecting H₂O₂ in living cells is described. The probe could achieve high selectivity for detecting H₂O₂ over other biological reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, upon addition of H₂O₂, NBCD exhibited color change from colorless to pink, which makes it a “naked‐eye” probe for H₂O₂ detection. NBCD could not only be used to detect enzymatically generated H₂O₂ but also to detect H₂O₂ in living systems by using fluorescence spectroscopy, with a detection limit of 2 μm . Importantly, NBCD enabled the visualization of epidermal growth factor (EGF)‐stimulated H₂O₂ generation inside the cells.     

A Novel Fluorescence Probe for the Reversible Detection of Bisulfite and Hydrogen Peroxide Pair in Vitro and in Vivo

The detection of changes in the reactive oxygen species (ROS)/reactive sulfur species (RSS) couple is important for studying the cellular redox state. Herein, we developed a 1,8-naphthalimide-based fluorescence probe ( NI ) for the reversible detection of bisulfite (HSO₃⁻) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in vitro and in vivo. NI has been designed with a reactive ethylene unit which specifically reacts with HSO₃⁻ by a Michael addition reaction mechanism, resulting in the quenching of yellow fluorescence at 580 nm and the appearing of green fluorescence at 510 nm upon excitation at 500 nm and 430 nm, respectively. The addition product ( NI−HSO₃ ) could be specifically oxidized to form the original C=C bond of NI , recovering the fluorescence emission and color. The detection limits of NI for HSO₃⁻ and NI−HSO₃ for H₂O₂ were calculated to be 2.05 μM and 4.23 μM, respectively. The reversible fluorescence response of NI towards HSO₃⁻/H₂O₂ couple can be repeated for at least five times. NI is reliable at a broad pH range (pH 3.0–11.5) and features outstanding selectivity, which enabled its practical applications in biological and food samples. Monitoring the reversible and dynamic inter-conversion between HSO₃⁻ and H₂O₂ in vitro and in vivo has been verified by fluorescence imaging in live HeLa cells, adult zebrafish and nude mice. Moreover, NI has been successfully applied to detect of HSO₃⁻ levels in food samples.     

A Highly Selective and Sensitive Chemiluminescent Probe for Real-Time Monitoring of Hydrogen Peroxide in Cells and Animals

Selective and sensitive molecular probes for hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), which plays diverse roles in oxidative stress and redox signaling, are urgently needed to investigate the physiological and pathological effects of H₂O₂. A lack of reliable tools for in vivo imaging has hampered the development of H₂O₂ mediated therapeutics. By combining a specific tandem Payne/Dakin reaction with a chemiluminescent scaffold, H₂O₂-CL-510 was developed as a highly selective and sensitive probe for detection of H₂O₂ both in vitro and in vivo. A rapid 430-fold enhancement of chemiluminescence was triggered directly by H₂O₂ without any laser excitation. Arsenic trioxide induced oxidative damage in leukemia was successfully detected. In particular, cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury-induced H₂O₂ fluxes were visualized in rat brains using H₂O₂-CL-510 , providing a new chemical tool for real-time monitoring of H₂O₂ dynamics in living animals.     

Kinetic approach for evaluation of total antioxidant activity

We propose a novel approach for assessment of total antioxidant activity by monitoring kinetics of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) scavenging after its injection into liquid sample under study. H₂O₂ is known to be the strongest oxidant, really presented in human body in contrast to the majority of the model oxidative systems used for evaluation of antioxidant activity. In addition, kinetic approach, being more informative than the commonly used determination of the final product, obviously provides better discrimination of potential antioxidants. Prussian Blue based sensor due to its high sensitivity and operational stability allowed to monitor kinetics of hydrogen peroxide consumption in turbid and colored samples. The pseudo-first order kinetic constants of hydrogen peroxide scavenging in the presence of different food additives correlated with total antioxidant activity of these samples evaluated via standard procedure based on lipid peroxidation. However, in contrast to the standard method, the proposed kinetic approach is expressed and does not require fresh biological tissues.     

A non-enzyme hydrogen peroxide sensor based on core/shell silica nanoparticles using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy

In our previous study, we have prepared aminated fluorescent silica nanoparticles doped with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) (FSNPs) for the sensing of γ-globulin. Compared with conventional organic dyes, FSNPs show superiorities such as excellent photostability, good water solubility, and biocompatibility, which are in favor of improving the stability and sensitivity of sensors. To extend the application of FSNPs, a convenient and effective method for non-enzyme fluorescent sensor of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is introduced based on the synchronous fluorescence technique. The sensor includes two-step reactions, typical redox reaction between KI and H₂O₂ and iodination reaction between I₂ produced by the first step reaction and FITC doped in the network of silica nanoparticles, which induce the fluorescence quenching of FSNPs. The results show that the fluorescence signal of FSNPs linearly decreases with the trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide added in the range 5–80 μM with a detection limit of 0.8 μM under the optimal experimental conditions. The method is simple and sensitive and can be applied to the determination of trace amounts of H₂O₂. Good recovery data were obtained for the assay of H₂O₂ in river water by standard addition method with high accuracy and reliability.     

A Highly Selective and Sensitive Chemiluminescent Probe for Real‐Time Monitoring of Hydrogen Peroxide in Cells and Animals

Selective and sensitive molecular probes for hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), which plays diverse roles in oxidative stress and redox signaling, are urgently needed to investigate the physiological and pathological effects of H₂O₂. A lack of reliable tools for in vivo imaging has hampered the development of H₂O₂ mediated therapeutics. By combining a specific tandem Payne/Dakin reaction with a chemiluminescent scaffold, H₂O₂‐CL‐510 was developed as a highly selective and sensitive probe for detection of H₂O₂ both in vitro and in vivo. A rapid 430‐fold enhancement of chemiluminescence was triggered directly by H₂O₂ without any laser excitation. Arsenic trioxide induced oxidative damage in leukemia was successfully detected. In particular, cerebral ischemia‐reperfusion injury‐induced H₂O₂ fluxes were visualized in rat brains using H₂O₂‐CL‐510 , providing a new chemical tool for real‐time monitoring of H₂O₂ dynamics in living animals.     

A novel non-enzyme hydrogen peroxide sensor based on an electrode modified with carbon nanotube-wired CuO nanoflowers

We have prepared a novel sensor for hydrogen peroxide that is based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with a film containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes wired to CuO nanoflowers. The nanoflowers were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, and the electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and scanning electron microscopy. The response of the modified electrode towards hydrogen peroxide was investigated by CV and chronoamperometry and showed it to exhibit high electrocatalytic activity, with a linear range from 0.5?μM to 82?μM and a detection limit of 0.16?μM. The sensor also displays excellent selectivity and stability.

A Multi-responsive Fluorescent Probe Reveals Mitochondrial Nucleoprotein Dynamics with Reactive Oxygen Species Regulation through Super-resolution Imaging

Understanding the biomolecular interactions in a specific organelle has been a long-standing challenge because it requires super-resolution imaging to resolve the spatial locations and dynamic interactions of multiple biomacromolecules. Two key difficulties are the scarcity of suitable probes for super-resolution nanoscopy and the complications that arise from the use of multiple probes. Herein, we report a quinolinium derivative probe that is selectively enriched in mitochondria and switches on in three different fluorescence modes in response to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), proteins, and nucleic acids, enabling the visualization of mitochondrial nucleoprotein dynamics. STED nanoscopy reveals that the proteins localize at mitochondrial cristae and largely fuse with nucleic acids to form nucleoproteins, whereas increasing H₂O₂ level leads to disassociation of nucleic acid–protein complexes.     

Noncovalent Assembly of Picket‐Fence Porphyrin on Carbon Nanotubes as Effective Peroxidase‐Like Catalysts for Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide in Beverages

A newly developed electrochemical sensor for determination of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in beverages using a water‐insoluble picket‐fence porphyrin (FeTpivPP) functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) is demonstrated. Introduction of FeTpivPP on MWNTs led to enhanced electron transfer. As a new platform in electrochemical analysis, the resultant sensor showed excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of H₂O₂ due to the synergic effect between MWNTs and FeTpivPP, thus leading to highly sensitive amperometric sensing of H₂O₂ with a detection limit of 0.05 µmol L^?1. The developed method is successfully used to detect H₂O₂ in beverages and shows great promise for routine sensing applications.     

Synergistic in-situ growth of silver nanoparticles with nanozyme activity for dual-mode biosensing and cancer theranostics

A multifunctional nanocomposite of AgNPs@GQDs is prepared by synergistic in-situ growth of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the complex of tannic acid (TA) and graphene quantum dots (GQDs) for the construction of dual-mode biosensing platform and cancer theranostics. The nanocomposite exhibits a hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-responsive degradation, in which Ag⁰ is oxidized to Ag⁺ along with the release of oxidized TA and GQDs. The degradation induces the decreased absorbance and enhanced fluorescence (FL) intensity due to the suppression of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) in AgNPs@GQDs, which is employed for colorimetric/fluorescence dual-mode sensing of H₂O₂. The intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of GQDs nanozyme can effectively catalyze the oxidation reaction, enhancing the detection sensitivity significantly. Based on the generation of H₂O₂ from the oxidation of glucose with the catalysis of glucose oxidase (GOx), this nanoprobe is versatilely used for the determination of glucose in human serum. Further, through combining the H₂O₂-responsive degradation of AgNPs@GQDs with high H₂O₂ level in cancer cells, the nanocomposites exhibit good performance in cancer cell recognition and therapy, in which the synergistic anticancer effect of Ag⁺ and oxidized TA contribute to effective cell death, and the liberated GQDs are used to monitor the therapeutic effect by cell imaging.     

Development of Dipolar Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometer for Real-time Monitoring of Volatile Organic Compounds in Ambient Air

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ambient air can participate in photochemical reactions, which lead to the generation of secondary pollutants such as ozone and aerosol. So real-time and accurate monitoring of atmospheric VOCs plays an important role in the study of the causes of air pollution. On the basis of proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) research, a novel dipolar proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer (DP-PTR-MS) for real-time and on-line monitoring of atmospheric VOCs was developed. Compared with conventional PTR-MS with one kind of reagent ion H₃O⁺, DP-PTR-MS had three kinds of reagent ions H₃O⁺, OH^?, (CH₃)₂COH⁺, which could be switched according to the actual detection need. So DP-PTR-MS can improve the qualitative ability and expand the detection range effectively. The reagent ion H₃O⁺ can be used for detecting VOCs whose proton affinities are greater than that of H₂O. The reagent ion OH^? can be used to identify VOCs cooperating with the reagent ion H₃O⁺, and can also be used for detecting some inorganic substances such as CO₂. The reagent ion (CH₃)₂COH⁺ can be used for accurately detecting NH₃ under interference elimination circumstances. The limit of detection (LOD) and sensitivity of DP-PTR-MS were measured by using six kinds of standard gases. The results showed that the LOD for detecting toluene was 7 × 10^?12 (V/V) and the sensitivity for detecting ammonia reached 126 cps/10^?9 (V/V). The ambient air in Hefei city was on-line and real-time monitored for continuous 78 h with DP-PTR-MS. The results showed that the newly developed DP-PTR-MS could be used for long-term and real-time monitoring atmospheric VOCs at the concentration of 10^?12 (V/V) level. DP-PTR-MS is an important tool to the study of the causes of atmospheric pollution and the monitoring of trace VOCs emissions.     

Fluorogenic Probe Using a Mislow–Evans Rearrangement for Real-Time Imaging of Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) mediates the biology of wound healing, apoptosis, inflammation, etc. H₂O₂ has been fluorometrically imaged with protein- or small-molecule-based probes. However, only protein-based probes have afforded temporal insights within seconds. Small-molecule-based electrophilic probes for H₂O₂ require many minutes for a sufficient response in biological systems. Here, we report a fluorogenic probe that selectively undergoes a [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement (seleno-Mislow-Evans rearrangement) with H₂O₂, followed by acetal hydrolysis, to produce a green fluorescent molecule in seconds. Unlike other electrophilic probes, the current probe acts as a nucleophile. The fast kinetics enabled real-time imaging of H₂O₂ produced in endothelial cells in 8 seconds (much earlier than previously shown) and H₂O₂ in a zebrafish wound healing model. This work may provide a platform for endogenous H₂O₂ detection in real time with chemical probes.     

A NIR fluorescent probe for imaging thiophenol in the living system and revealing thiophenol-induced oxidative stress

Thiophenol (PhSH) is an important raw material for organic synthesis, while its high toxicity to organisms makes it an environmental pollutant. Therefore, it is crucial to accurately detect PhSH and explore its metabolic process in the living system. Herein, a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe TEM-FB was developed for sensing PhSH with a turn-on fluorescent signal at 719 nm and a large Stokes shift (198 nm) based on generating the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) process. TEM-FB shows high specificity and significant sensitivity towards PhSH (detection limit: 10 nmol/L) via the aromatic nucleophilic substitution mechanism. Furthermore, it was successfully applied to image PhSH in multiple cell lines and in zebrafish. Notably, we revealed the oxidative stress process caused by PhSH and demonstrated that the hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in cells would alleviate the poisonousness from exogenous PhSH for the first time. This work provides a promising bioimaging tool for monitoring PhSH in living systems and visualizing the process of oxidative stress induced by PhSH.     

Fluorescent probes for in vitro and in vivo quantification of hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) plays essential roles in redox signaling and oxidative stress, and its dynamic concentration is critical to human health and diseases. Here we report the design, syntheses, and biological applications of HKPerox-Red and HKPerox-Ratio for quantitative measurement of H₂O₂. Both probes were successfully applied to detect endogenous H₂O₂ fluxes in living cells or zebrafish, and biological effects of multiple stress inducers including rotenone, arsenic trioxide, and starvation were investigated. As H₂O₂ is a common by-product for oxidase oxidation, a general assay was developed for ultrasensitive detection of various metabolites (glucose, uric acid, and sarcosine). Moreover, cellular H₂O₂ measurements were achieved for the first time by combining flow cytometry with live cell calibration. This study provides a pair of unique molecular tools for advanced H₂O₂ bio-imaging and assay development.

New class of H₂O₂ probes, HKPerox-Red and HKPerox-Ratio, were developed for quantitative measurement of H₂O₂ generated in multiple disease models using bio-imaging, flow cytometry, and in vitro assays in an ultra-sensitive and selective manner.     

Tandem Payne/Dakin Reaction: A New Strategy for Hydrogen Peroxide Detection and Molecular Imaging

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) has been recognized as one of the most significant ROS (reactive oxygen species) in human health and disease. Because of the intrinsic attributes of H₂O₂—such as its low reactivity under physiological pH—it is exceedingly challenging to develop small‐molecule fluorescent probes with high selectivity and sensitivity for visualization of H₂O₂ in an intricate biological milieu. To address this gap, a rationally designed tandem Payne/Dakin reaction is reported that is specific to molecular recognition of H₂O₂. New H₂O₂ probes based on this unique chemical strategy can be easily synthesized by a general coupling reaction, and the practical applicability of those probes has been confirmed by the visualization of endogenously produced H₂O₂ in living cells. In particular, starvation‐induced H₂O₂ production in mouse macrophages has been detected by the novel probe in both confocal imaging and flow cytometry. This tandem Payne/Dakin reaction provides a basis for developing more sophisticated molecular tools to interrogate H₂O₂ functions in biological phenomena.     

Recent advances in fluorescent probes for the detection of reactive oxygen species

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have captured the interest of many researchers in the chemical, biological, and medical fields since they are thought to be associated with various pathological conditions. Fluorescent probes for the detection of ROS are promising tools with which to enhance our understanding of the physiological roles of ROS, because they provide spatial and temporal information about target biomolecules in in vivo cellular systems. ROS probes, designed to detect specific ROS with a high selectivity, would be desirable, since it is now becoming clear that each ROS has its own unique physiological activity. However, dihydro-compounds such as 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein (DCFH), which have traditionally been used for detecting ROS, tend to react with a wide variety of ROS and are not completely photostable. Some attractive fluorescent probes that exhibit a high degree of selectivity toward specific ROS have recently been reported, and these selective probes are expected to have great potential for elucidating unknown physiological mechanisms associated with their target ROS. This review focuses on the design, detection mechanism, and performance of fluorescent probes for the detection of singlet oxygen (¹O₂), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), hydroxyl radicals (^.OH), or superoxide anion (O₂ ^−.), a field in which remarkable progress has been achieved in the last few years.     

Protective Effect of Ferulic Acid against Hydrogen Peroxide Induced Apoptosis in PC12 Cells

Ferulic Acid (FA) is a highly abundant phenolic phytochemical which is present in plant tissues. FA has biological effects on physiological and pathological processes due to its anti-apoptotic and anti-oxidative properties, however, the detailed mechanism(s) of function is poorly understood. We have identified FA as a molecule that inhibits apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) or actinomycin D (ActD) in rat pheochromocytoma, PC12 cell. We also found that FA reduces H₂O₂-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in PC12 cell, thereby acting as an anti-oxidant. Then, we analyzed FA-mediated signaling responses in rat pheochromocytoma, PC12 cells using antibody arrays for phosphokinase and apoptosis related proteins. This FA signaling pathway in PC12 cells includes inactivation of pro-apoptotic proteins, SMAC/Diablo and Bad. In addition, FA attenuates the cell injury by H₂O₂ through the inhibition of phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Importantly, we find that FA restores expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a key neuroprotective effector, in H₂O₂-treated PC12 cells. As a possible mechanism, FA increases BDNF by regulating microRNA-10b expression following H₂O₂ stimulation. Taken together, FA has broad biological effects as a neuroprotective modulator to regulate the expression of phosphokinases, apoptosis-related proteins and microRNAs against oxidative stress in PC12 cells.