Molecular fluorescent probes for imaging and evaluation of peroxynitrite fluctuations in living cells and in vivo under hypoxic stress

Hypoxia stress causes cell damage and apoptosis by producing excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is a universal concern in biology and medicine. Peroxynitrite (ONOO-) plays a vital part in the oxidative injury of tissue proteins in the pathogenic mechanism of many disorders, which is a one of ROS. Thus, excessive production of ONOO- may be one of the crucial factors leading to hypoxia stress injury. However, due to the unstable chemical property and strong reactivity of ONOO-, most of the existing detection ways cannot image and detect its level in real time. Herein, in order to selectively imaging and detecting ONOO- in living cells and in vivo, we synthesized a fluorescent probe Cy-CF3 (our fluorescent probe for detection of ONOO-). Cy-CF3 was capable of monitoring ONOO- with excellent sensitivity and selectivity. Using Cy-CF3, the relationship between hypoxia stress and ONOO- was evaluated. The probe was also employed to sense the change of ONOO- in zebrafish under hypoxia conditions as well as determine ONOO- in living mice with acute liver ischemia. Taken together, the proposed probe maybe a powerful chemical tool for the study of ONOO- in biological mechanisms.