Formaldehyde (FA) is endogenously produced in live systems and has been implicated in a diverse array of pathophysiological processes. To disentangle the detailed molecular mechanisms of FA biology, a reliable method for monitoring FA changes in live cells would be indispensable. Although there have been several fluorescent probes reported to detect FA, most are limited by the slow detection kinetics and the intrinsic disadvantage of detecting FA in an irreversible manner which may disturb endogenous FA homeostasis. Herein we developed a coumarin-hydrazonate based fluorogenic probe (PFM) based on a finely-tailored stereoelectronic effect. PFM could respond to FA swiftly and reversibly. This, together with its desirable specificity and sensitivity, endows us to track endogenous FA in live neurovascular cells with excellent temporal and spatial resolution. Further study in the brain tissue imaging showed the first direct observation of aberrant FA accumulation in cortex and hippocampus of Alzheimer's mouse model, indicating the potential of PFM as a diagnostic tool.

中文翻译：

---

一种用于快速，可逆地检测神经血管组织中甲醛的荧光探针

甲醛（FA）是在活体系统中内源性产生的，并与多种病理生理过程有关。为了弄清楚FA生物学的详细分子机制，监测活细胞中FA变化的可靠方法将是必不可少的。尽管已经报道了几种检测FA的荧光探针，但大多数探针都受到缓慢的检测动力学和以不可逆方式检测FA的固有缺点的限制，这可能会干扰内源性FA的体内平衡。本文中，我们基于精细定制的立体电子效应，开发了基于香豆素-肼基甲酸酯的荧光探针（PFM）。PFM可以快速，可逆地响应FA。这，加上其理想的特异性和敏感性，使我们能够以优异的时间和空间分辨率跟踪活神经血管细胞中的内源性FA。在脑组织成像中的进一步研究表明，首次直接观察到阿尔茨海默氏症小鼠模型皮质和海马中异常FA的积累，表明PFM作为诊断工具的潜力。