Development and applications of fluorescent probes for the detection of Fe(II) ion

Iron is the most abundant transition metal in our body and plays various pivotal roles in our lives including oxygen transport, energy production, and metabolic reactions. At the same time, an excess amount of iron may cause cellular damages through undesired oxidative reactions. We have developed several fluorescent probes, which can detect Fe(II) ion selectively with fluorescence enhancement, to understand both the physiological and pathological contributions of iron in living systems. These fluorescent probes worked in an aqueous buffer, living cells, and histochemical samples (Chem. Sci. 2013, 4, 1250; Chem. Sci. 2017, 8, 4858; Free Radic. Res. 2014, 48, 990; Sci. Rep. 2017, 7, 10621) I will present the recent progress of the development of organelle-targeted fluorescent probes for mitochondria, lysosome, and plasma-membrane (Metallomics, 2018, 10, 794; Metallomics, 2018, in press; ACS Chem. Biol., 2018, 13, 1853). Besides, our recent approach to discover iron-regulating drug by high-throughput screening with a highly sensitive fluorescent probe will be presented.