A mitochondria-targeting fluorescent probe for real-time monitoring of carbon monoxide in living cells and zebrafish

Abstract

As an important cellular signaling molecule, carbon monoxide (CO) is of great significance in maintaining the physiological activities of biological systems. Exploring techniques for detecting CO at the subcellular fraction is crucial for understanding its various cellular functions. In this work, a simple and effective fluorescence probe (MNP-CO) with mitochondria-targeting ability was reported for detecting CO in mitochondria. The nitro group was chosen as the recognizing moiety, triphenylphosphine as the mitochondrial target unit and naphthalimide as a fluorescent group. This probe displays high selectivity, high sensitivity and excellent photo-stability. Moreover, biological imaging experiments have shown that MNP-CO has excellent fluorescence imaging ability for CO in cells and zebrafish and has mitochondrial targeting ability.