Research Progress in Mitochondrial Targeting Fluorescent Probes for Hydrogen Peroxide

Controlling the content of mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide can play a beneficial role in cell survival, growth, differentiation and maintenance. However, the abnormal production of mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide may destroy the structure of biological macromolecules and cells, and promote the occurrence of aging, mutation and even cancer. Therefore, there is an urgent need for means to effectively monitor changes in hydrogen peroxide levels in living cells, especially in mitochondria. To this end, a variety of fluorescent probes have been developed and designed to monitor changes in hydrogen peroxide levels in mitochondria. The recent progress in mitochondrial targeting fluorescent probes for hydrogen peroxide based on the structure of targeting groups is summarized, and triphenylphosphonium probes, pyridinium probes, quinolinium probes, indolium probes, and other cationic probes are introduced, including the structure, fluorescence behavior and biological imaging of these probes. These fluorescent probes will become powerful molecular tools in future disease diagnosis and pathological research.