9-Nitrobenzo[]quinolizinium as a fluorogenic probe for the detection of nitroreductase and in

The non-fluorescent 9-nitrobenzo[ b ]quinolizinium is readily reduced by nitroreductase to a fluorescent reaction product. The resulting light-up effect enables the selective detection of nitroreductase activity in vitro and in Escherichia coli bacterial cultures. The non-fluorescent 9-nitrobenzo[ b ]quinolizinium is readily reduced by nitroreductase to fluorescent reaction products whose formation depends on the reaction conditions.