Light up ClO- in live cells using an aza-coumarin based fluorescent probe with fast response and high sensitivity

Hypochlorous acid (HClO)/hypochlorite (ClO-), one of the reactive oxygen species (ROS), is a key microbicidal agent used for natural defense; however, HClO is also responsible for some human diseases. Although much effort has been made to develop HClO-selective fluorescent probes, many of them display a delayed response time and nanomole-sensitive probes are rare. In this study, we designed and synthesized an aza-coumarin based fluorescent probe AC-ClO for ClO- determination with fast response (completed within 2 min) and high sensitivity (detection limit is 25 nM). AC-ClO displayed a color change from pink to light yellow and a remarkable "turn-on" fluorescence response towards ClO-. Confocal fluorescence microscopy experiments demonstrated that the probe could be applied for the live-cell imaging of exogenous and endogenous ClO-.