Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are associated with many diseases such as Parkinson''s, Alzheimer''s, cancer and diabetes. Among ROS, hydroxyl radical plays a significant role due to its high reactivity with biomacromolecules. Detection of the radical selectively, provides information about the localization, extent of damage and resulting cellular response. Therefore, methods that are sensitive, accurate and reproducible for the detection of hydroxyl radical are crucial for understanding pathophysiology in a host of inherited and acquired diseases. The synthesis, characteristics, and biological applications of a series of new rhodamine nitroxide fluorescent probes that enable imaging of hydroxyl radicals in living cells are described.These probes are highly selective for hyroxyl radical in aqueous solution avoiding interference from other ROS, and they facilitate hydroxyl radical imaging in biologically active samples. The roboust nature of these probes (high specifity and selectivity, and facile synthesis) offer distinct advantages over previous methods for detection of hydroxyl radicals.[Figure 1]