pH-triggered fluorescent probe for sensing of hypochlorite and viscosity in live cells and chronic wound diabetic mice

Diabetic skin ulcers (DCU) are one of the most typical complications of diabetes with difficulty in wound healing. Recent research shows that the alkalinization of wounds and a series of microenvironmental parameters and inflammatory responses, including viscosity and ClO- are related to the healing process. Most of the fluorescent probes for monitoring chronic wounds mainly focus on one factor, including pH, ROS. However, it is still highly desirable yet challenging to develop methods for the visualization of multiple factors in the process of DCU, which will benefit our understanding of the healing mechanism and its management. Herein, three-lock fluorescent probe (H-VH) triggered by alkaline pH was developed for simultaneous detection of viscosity and ClO-. H-VH could measure pH fluctuation, viscosity change, and ClO- levels under basic conditions in three types of cells. In addition, H-VH can be used to investigate the changes in the normal cell lines and diabetes cell model, which is conducive to exploring chronic wounds in diabetic mice. Moreover, H-VH was employed to monitor chronic wounds in healthy and diabetic mice at different time points. Therefore, this work provides a powerful tool for visualizing the DCU process and is helpful in understanding the healing mechanism.