A two-pronged detection of atherosclerosis with a dual-channel fluorescent probe for viscosity and hypochlorous acid.

[Display omitted] • A fluorescent probe AS-CN was developed for simultaneous discrimination of HOCl and viscosity. • The probe showed an emission enhancement at 710 nm to viscosity or at 593 nm to HOCl. • Dynamic upregualtions of viscosity and HOCl during the formation of foam cells were monitored. • The variations of HOCl and viscosity in AS mice were visualized. The precise detection of atherosclerosis has been a research hot point since its importance in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Here we synthesized a near-infrared fluorescent probe AS-CN with a D − π − A structure, enabling independent dual-response determination of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and viscosity during AS progression. The performance of this probe is excellent, with large Stokes shift, low detection limit, high sensitivity, and good biocompatibility. The simultaneous variations of HOCl and viscosity during the formation of foam cells were successfully investigated for the first time. Especially, we further applied it to achieve the non-invasive in vivo detection in the atherosclerotic mouse and realized the evaluation of atherosclerosis from chemical (ROS) and physical (viscosity) dimensions, respectively. We hope that AS-CN acts as a potent tool in the detection of atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]