A novel simple fluorescent probe for the detection of hydrogen peroxide in vivo with high selectivity

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) plays an important role in the initiation and progression of many diseases. Therefore, the detection of H₂O₂ in vivo is very important to elucidate its biological functions in various diseases. At present, the research of fluorescent probes has attracted wide attention. Fluorescent probes are becoming more and more useful as tools for detecting various substances. In this paper, we present a novel fluorescent probe capable of selectively detecting H₂O₂ in organisms. This probe is based on the design strategy of the recognition of H₂O₂ enhancing the water-solubility, as a result, producing the turn-on fluorescence intensity. With the increase of hydrogen peroxide concentration, the fluorescence intensity of the newly as-prepared probe is enhanced. There was a good linear relationship when the concentration range of hydrogen peroxide was from 1 μM to 100 μM. In terms of cell imaging work, the detection of endogenous and exogenous H₂O₂ in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells showed obvious fluorescence enhancement under confocal microscopy. So this new probe has been shown to be a reliable chemical tool for detecting the generation and development of H₂O₂-related diseases in living systems.