Dual channel mitochondria-targeted fluorescent probe for detection of nitric oxide in living cells and zebrafish

A novel dual channel mitochondria-targeted fluorescent probe has been developed to detect nitric oxide (NO), an important and short-life reactive nitrogen species (RNS) which mainly generates in the mitochondria. The new probe Mi-NO has exhibited dual emission property as well as unique spectrum responses towards NO. Upon the addition of NO, the fluorescence of Mi-NO quenched significantly. Molecular docking calculations suggest a potential molecular target for Mi-NO in the mitochondria protein adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT). High colocalization coefficient also suggested that Mi-NO can effectively target mitochondria. Moreover, Mi-NO has been successfully employed in imaging NO in living cells and zebrafish, affording a potential for studying the biological functions of NO in living systems.