Selective detection of peroxynitrite using an isatin receptor and a naphthalimide fluorophore

Peroxynitrite is a reactive oxygen and nitrogen species that participates in various biological reactions. Therefore, it is important to readily detect and track peroxynitrite in biological systems. Here, a novel turn-on probe encapsulated in PEG DSPE-PEG/HN-I was used to fluorescently detect ONOO⁻ rapidly. The encapsulation of HN-I using DSPE-PEG2000 optimizes the sensing performances of the naphthalimide probe and avoids ACQ. Using DSPE-PEG/HN-I to detect changes in the levels of exogenous ONOO⁻ in HepG2 cells and endogenous ONOO⁻ induced by LPS in RAW 267.4 cells was demonstrated.