College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, 100875, Beijing, China.
Shanxi Medical University, 030000, Taiyuan, China.
Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2020 Sep 9;19(9):1230-1235. doi: 10.1039/d0pp00201a.
Nitric oxide (NO) is a messenger molecule in organisms, participating in the regulation of many biological processes. The abnormal expression of NO is often observed in a variety of diseases, including cerebral ischemia, atherosclerosis, and cancer. However, a suitable tool that can directly and sensitively detect NO in vitro and in vivo is important for understanding its various biological functions. In this report, a new fluorescent probe for nitric oxide, DHP-4, was prepared, based on dihydropyridine-coumarin. DHP-4 was able to greatly enhance the fluorescence of NO, but did not affect the fluorescence emissions of other reactive oxygen species and nitrogen species, demonstrating its highly selective and sensitive response to NO. The probe generated stable optical signals in a buffer solution at pH values ranging from 3 to 10. In addition, DHP-4 could detect NO directly, showed low cellular toxicity, and was successfully applied to determine NO in Raw 264.7 cells, indicating its great potential as a tool for investigating the biological roles of NO in vivo.
一氧化氮（NO）是生物体内的一种信使分子，参与多种生物过程的调节。NO 的异常表达常发生在多种疾病中，包括脑缺血、动脉粥样硬化和癌症等。然而，对于理解其各种生物学功能，一种能够直接、灵敏地在体外和体内检测 NO 的合适工具是非常重要的。在本报告中，我们基于二氢吡啶-香豆素，制备了一种新的用于检测一氧化氮的荧光探针 DHP-4。DHP-4 能够极大地增强 NO 的荧光，但不影响其他活性氧和氮物种的荧光发射，表明其对 NO 具有高度选择性和灵敏性响应。该探针在 pH 值为 3 到 10 的缓冲溶液中生成稳定的光学信号。此外，DHP-4 能够直接检测 NO，表现出较低的细胞毒性，并成功应用于 Raw 264.7 细胞中 NO 的测定，表明其在体内研究 NO 的生物学作用方面具有巨大的应用潜力。
