A highly selective near-infrared fluorescent probe for imaging peroxynitrite in the brains of epileptic mice.

A ratiometric near-infrared probe, CCy7-DP, was developed for peroxynitrite detection, utilizing a highly selective addition-elimination reaction between ONOO- and diphenyl phosphinate. This reaction triggered an electron rearrangement of the cyanine skeleton and a blue shift in fluorescence, enabling high-contrast imaging of peroxynitrite in the brains of epileptic mice.