Super-Resolution Imaging of Mitochondrial HClO during Cell Ferroptosis Using a Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe.

Ferroptosis is of great importance in physiological and pathological processes, which is associated with various inflammation-related diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer. Ferroptosis can cause abnormal change of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria. Hypochlorous acid (HClO) acts as a typical ROS. Therefore, it is needed to study the relationship between mitochondrial morphology and HClO changes during ferroptosis at the subcellular level. To this end, a near-infrared-excitation/emission fluorescent probe, , for rapid detection of mitochondrial HClO was developed based on the specific oxidative cleavage of the ,-dimethylthiocarbamate moiety. The fluctuation in mitochondrial HClO content and the change in mitochondrial morphology during ferroptosis were monitored in real time by super-resolution imaging. In addition, was successfully applied to monitor exogenous and endogenous mitochondrial HClO during cell ferroptosis and visualize tumor to discriminate from healthy tissues. Therefore, we believe that could provide a valuable approach for the detection of mitochondrial HClO in cancer cells as well as for understanding the ferroptosis mechanism and early diagnosis of cancers associated with ferroptosis for future research.