A near-infrared AIE fluorescent probe for selective peroxynitrite (ONOO-) detection and bioimaging with anti-counterfeiting applications.

As a potent reactive nitrogen species characterized by robust oxidative capabilities, peroxynitrite (ONOO-) is fundamentally involved in diverse physiological and pathological events. To overcome the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) commonly encountered in traditional fluorophores, TriPS-py-BOO, a near-infrared AIE-active fluorescent probe, was rationally designed for the selective detection of ONOO-. This newly engineered probe demonstrates favorable sensing capabilities toward ONOO-, yielding low limits of detection at 0.573 μM (colorimetric) and 0.743 μM (fluorometric). Furthermore, its large Stokes shift of 235 nm substantially minimizes background auto-fluorescence during optical analysis. Benefiting from its favorable biocompatibility, the probe was successfully applied to imaging both exogenously added and intracellularly generated ONOO- in A549 cells, as well as exogenously added ONOO- in zebrafish. More importantly, the reaction product o-TriPS-py generated after ONOO- recognition displayed good photochromic behavior and acid-responsive properties, enabling its further application in molecular logic operations and intelligent anti-counterfeiting systems. This work not only provides an effective strategy for ONOO- sensing, but also offers a new approach for integrating fluorescence detection with multifunctional optical materials.