A novel colorimetric fluorescence probe for the sensitive and selective detection of hypochlorite and its bioimaging in living cells

Hypochlorite (ClO- ) is a well-known redox regulator among reactive oxygen species and plays a crucial role in bacterial disinfection and body immunity. Therefore, there is a high demand for an analytical technique to monitor ClO- under physiological conditions. Herein, a novel fluorescence probe, RES-DPPT, was developed for detecting ClO- . This probe employs diphenylphosphinothioyl unit as the recognition group and resorufin as the fluorescent platform. RES-DPPT has high sensitivity and specificity, rapid response, and wide pH tolerance for monitoring ClO- . Additionally, RES-DPPT undergoes colorimetric and fluorescence color changes in the solution, which can be observed by the "naked eye." Furthermore, RES-DPPT is successfully able to detect exogenous and endogenous ClO- in living cells.