A highly specific and ultrasensitive fluorescent probe for monitoring hypochlorous acid and its applications in live cells

Developing highly specific and ultrasensitive techniques for monitoring hypochlorous acid (HOC1) in the environment and living systems is very important to guarantee its safe use and disclose its diverse biological functions. We herein presented a simple water-soluble lysosome-targeted fluorescent probe TCRH for the detection of HOC1. Probe TCRH could sensitively monitor HOC1 at the nanomolar levels with the detection limit of 0.12 nM. Additionally, probe TCRH with the response unit of thiocarbamate could selectively detect HOC1 over other various analytes. Furthermore, probe TCRH showed an ultrafast response for HOC1 (<3 s), implying that it could offer a real-time analytical assay of HOC1. Finally, probe TCRH was used for monitoring the basal lysosomal HOC1 levels without exogenous stimuli and tracking the fluctuations of endogenous/exogenous HOC1 levels in the lysosomes of live RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.