A Novel Fluorogenic Spin Probe for Real-time Monitoring of Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species (mROS) Generation in an in vitro Stroke Model

Abstract

The extent of oxidative damage caused by a stroke can be assessed by monitoring mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS), which can further aid in early diagnosis and evaluation of treatment efficacy. Mitochondrial ROS have been identified as a potential biomarker for stroke, as they are known to cause oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in brain tissue. However, monitoring reversible mROS levels has been challenging due to the lack of appropriate probes. In this study, we developed a fluorogenic spin probe, Mito-RT-ROS, based on the rhodamine skeleton, which demonstrated good sensitivity for reversible monitoring of mROS in a physiological environment such as starvation and recovery. We also evaluated the probes efficacy in an in vitro stroke model for real-time tracking of mROS generation in a pathological setting.