A fluorescent sensor for selective detection of hypochlorite and its application in Arabidopsis thaliana

Hypochlorite, as one of reactive oxygen species, has drawn much attention due to its essential roles in special biological events and disorders. The exogenous hypochlorite remains a risk for human, animals and plants. In this work, a novel water soluble quinolin-containing nitrone derivative T has been developed for fluorometric sensing hypochlorite. The response mechanism of T towards ClO− was reported for the first time. In comparison with the reported sensors for ClO−, the sensor T in this work exhibited advantages including high selectivity (80 fold over other analytes), rapid response (within 5 s) and lipid-water distribution transformation (LogP from 2.979 to 6.131). Further biological applications suggested that T was capable of monitoring both exogenous and endogenous ClO− in living cells. The imaging in Arabidopsis thaliana indicated that the absorption and transmission of ClO− in plant could be monitored by this sensor through the chlorine-related mechanism. This work might raise referable information for further investigations in the physiological and pathological events in both tumor and plants. A novel water soluble quinolin-containing nitrone derivative T has been developed for fluorometric sensing hypochlorite. The response mechanism of T towards ClO− was reported for the first time. In comparison with the reported sensors for ClO−, the sensor T in this work exhibited advantages including high selectivity, rapid response and lipid-water distribution transformation. Further biological applications suggested that T was capable of monitoring both exogenous and endogenous ClO− in living cells. The imaging in Arabidopsis thaliana indicated that the absorption and transmission of ClO− in plant could be monitored by this sensor through the chlorine-related mechanism. [Display omitted] •The nitrone-involved sensing mechanism for hypochlorite reported for the first time•Advantages including high selectivity, rapid response and lipid-water distribution transformation•Being capable of monitoring both exogenous and endogenous ClO− in living cells•Imaging in Arabidopsis thaliana thus monitoring the absorption and transmission of ClO− in plant