Ultrafast Detection of Peroxynitrite in Parkinson’s Disease Models Using a Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that devastatingly affects people’s lives. Numerous research studies have shown that peroxynitrite (ONOO–) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of PD. However, a suitable tool that could quickly and sensitively detect ONOO– in various PD models is still lacking. To this end, we designed and synthesized a series of near-infrared probes that could detect ONOO– within seconds by near-infrared fluorescent imaging in an ultrafast and highly selective manner. It is noteworthy that one of those developed probes, NIR-PN1, showed excellent sensing performance and blood–brain barrier penetrating ability. NIR-PN1 was successfully applied for imaging of ONOO– fluxes in multiple PD models including PC12 cell, Drosophila, C. elegans, and mouse brain, indicating its great potential application not only for understanding the biological roles that ONOO– played in PD but also for early PD diagnosis and treatment.