Preparation of a Golgi-targetable and photo-triggered NO donor and its application in living cells and zebrafish imaging.

Enhancing the concentration of nitric oxide (NO) in tumor tissues via exogenous NO donors represents an efficient approach to augment the anti-tumor therapeutic effect of NO. Herein, a Golgi-targetable and photo-triggered NO donor, DYG-NO has been designed for the quantitative and localized NO release using an aminoquinoline derivative as the fluorescence reporter and Golgi-targetable group. The solution of DYG-NO was colorless and non-fluorescent due to the inhibition of intramolecular charge transfer state of the 7-aminoquolines between the imine group and trifluoromethyl group. Upon photo-triggered by UV light at 365 nm, DYG-NO fully released NO within 60 min, resulting in a 20-fold increase in fluorescence intensity at 535 nm, which was suitable to quantitate NO dose in vitro. Moreover, DYG-NO performed good photo-stability, and the NO decomposition pathway was not interfered by other interfering substances. In addition, DYG-NO was successfully applied to monitor and investigate the dynamic changes of NO level in living cells and zebrafish. Notably, DYG-NO is the first constructed Golgi-targetable NO donor that can precisely release NO in Golgi apparatus.