LAUSR

Superoxide anion is widely involved in broad cellular functions such as immune response, cell signaling and cell proliferation in regulated concentrations but are implicated in the development of various disease in uncontrolled levels. It is highly desired to develop an efficient analytical strategy to determine the concentration of O2•- with high selectivity and sensitivity. In our work, a novel fluorescence probe was developed to selectively detect superoxide anions. This probe demonstrated the following advantages: (1) a low detection limit and wide linear region from nanomolar to micromolar concentrations; (2) two-channel responsiveness; and (3) targeting mitochondria specifically. Moreover, the probe was successfully applied to visualize superoxide anions in vitro and in vivo. These excellent features could enable its sensitive determination for O2•- in biological systems and promising roles in biomedical applications.