An Aza-Cope mediated fluorescent probe based on aggregation-induced emission for highly selective and sensitive detection of formaldehyde in living cells and tissues

Formaldehyde (FA) is a product of an endogenous production that is formed through demethylase and oxidase enzymes, which regulate epigenetics and metabolism. However, the presence of abnormally high levels of FA are often associated with a variety of disease pathologies, including chronic liver, heart and neurodegenerative diseases, in addition to diabetes and various cancers. Hence, a more efficient tool for monitoring FA in living systems is required to better investigate the biological roles of FA in physiology and pathology. Herein, describe a new aggregation-induced emission based fluorescent probe (MPIPA) to detect formaldehyde (FA) with high selectivity and an ultra-low detection limit (123 nM). Importantly, the new probe permits the successfully detection of exogenous and endogenous FA in living cells and clinical cancer tissues for the first time, which has important implications.