Monitoring heat stroke with a HClO-activatable near-infrared fluorescent probe

Heat stroke is devastating pathology associated with a high morbidity and mortality rate. If heat cytotoxicity mechanisms are understood early, stroke-related diseases can be prevented or treated. Unfortunately, the details of lysosome's role in heat stroke remain poorly understood due to a lack of adequate tools. Recent studies indicate a correlation between lysosome HClO and the development of heat stroke. For better interpretation and treatment of heat stroke, the urgent and reliable real-time tools for tracking the correlation between HClO level and heat stroke is necessary. Herein, we present MB-HClO, a near-infrared (NIR) probe for rapidly detecting lysosome HClO. In addition to being an easy chemical to synthesize, MB-HClO shows remarkable selectivity and sensitivity to HClO. By applying MB-HClO to living cells, we have successfully monitored levels of both exogenous and endogenous HClO. Furthermore, this probe can distinguish inflammation from a normal brain state in LPS-induced neuroinflammation. Additionally, HClO can be measured non-invasively and visually for the first time in response to heat shock by imaging lysosome HClO increase. Therefore, MB-HClO is a promising candidate for research on heat stroke's complex biological mechanism.