A near-infrared fluorescent probe based on the hemicyanine skeleton for the detection of hydrogen peroxide in vivo.

As a member of the reactive oxygen species, hydrogen peroxide (HO) plays critical roles in oxidative stress and cell signaling. Intracellular abnormal levels of HO production are closely related to many diseases. Therefore, the real-time monitoring of HO in the cells is important. In this work, we designed a novel fluorescent probe (Mito-HO) for the specific detection of HO based on the hemicyanine skeleton, with bright near-infrared fluorescence emission. Mito-HO displayed fast response, excellent water-solubility and great fluorescence intensity enhancement after the addition of HO. Furthermore, Mito-HO has been successfully applied to image both of the exogenous and endogenous HO in cells and mice with negligible cytotoxity.