A highly specific BODIPY-based fluorescent probe for the detection of hypochlorous acid

A fluorescent probe, HKOCl-1, has been successfully developed for the detection of hypochlorous acid on the basis of a specific reaction with p-methoxyphenol. The formation of HOCl has been successfully detected not only in an abiotic system but also in an enzymatic system (myeloperoxidase/H(2)O(2)/Cl(-) system) and in living macrophage cells upon stimulation. This new probe might be used as an efficient tool for probing the roles HOCl plays in biological systems.