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.