Construction of a robust turn-on fluorescence NIR sensor for rapid detection and imaging of ONOO− in inflammatory models

[Display omitted] •A novel NIR sensor NN1 was designed and constructed for ONOO− detecting and imaging.•NN1 has excellent optical properties and detection performance.•NN1 can detect and image ONOO− in inflammatory cells and mice. Peroxynitrite (OONO−) is closely related to the occurrence and development of health and inflammatory diseases. The physiological and pathological results of OONO− are related to the local concentration of ONOO−. Therefore, to develop of a simple, rapid and reliable OONO− detection tool is badly needed. In this work, we developed a small-molecule near-infrared (NIR) turn-on fluorescence sensor (NN1), harnessing a well-known response group phenylboronic acid response toward OONO−. It shows high detection sensitivity and yields a ratio (I658/I0) fluorescence enhancement (∼280-fold). In addition, NN1 can be effectively used to detect endogenous and exogenous ONOO− in living inflammatory cells. Notably, NN1 can be applied to OONO− imaging analysis in drug-induced inflammatory mice model with satisfactory results. Therefore, NN1 is a robust molecular biological tool, which has a good prospect in the study of ONOO− and the occurrence and development of inflammatory diseases.