A pyrene-based ratiometric fluorescent probe with a large Stokes shift for selective detection of hydrogen peroxide in living cells.

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) plays a significant role in regulating a variety of biological processes. Dysregulation of H 2 O 2 can lead to various diseases. Although numerous fluorescent imaging probes for H 2 O 2 have been reported, the development of H 2 O 2 ratiometric fluorescent probe with large Stokes shift remains rather limited. Such probes have shown distinct advantages, such as minimized interference from environment and improved signal-to noise ratio. In this work, we reported a new pyrene-based compound Py-VPB as H 2 O 2 fluorescent probe in vitro. The probe demonstrated ratiometric detection behavior, large Stokes shift and large emission shift. In addition, the probe showed high sensitivity and selectivity towards H 2 O 2 in vitro. Based on these excellent properties, we successfully applied Py-VPB to the visualization of exogenous and endogenous H 2 O 2 in living cells. Cell imaging study also showed that our probe was localized in the mitochondria. We envision that the probe can provide a useful tool for unmasking the biological roles of mitochondrial H 2 O 2 in living systems. Image 1 • The first pyrene-based fluorescent probe for H 2 O 2 detection with ratiometric readout was presented. • The probe has shown prominent properties in detecting H 2 O 2 , such as high sensitivity & selectivity and large Stokes shift. • The probe was successfully applied to visualizing exogenous and endogenous H 2 O 2 in living cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]