A mitochondria-targeted two-photon fluorogenic probe for the dual-imaging of viscosity and H₂O₂ levels in Parkinson's disease models

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that seriously affects the quality of life of the patient. Many sources have shown that mitochondrial dysfunction is increasingly appreciated as playing a critical role in the pathogenesis of PD. The mitochondrial microenvironment and H₂O₂ level are two key parameters that are used to assess the function of mitochondria. Herein, we designed and synthesized a novel two-photon (TP) fluorogenic probe Mito-LX, which could simultaneously monitor changes in the mitochondrial viscosity and H₂O₂ levels using two different channels. This probe showed a significant response to viscosity changes with red emission at 730 nm and high sensitivity to H₂O₂ levels with orange emission at 585 nm. Moreover, Mito-LX was successfully applied to living systems (including living cells, zebrafish and Drosophila) for viscosity and H₂O₂ detection using one- and two-photon fluorescence confocal microscopy.