Abstract
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•DICO-Fe(II) utilizes a novel carbamoyl oxime structure to specifically recognize Fe2+.•DICO-Fe(II) performs the naked-eye detection of Fe2+.•DICO-Fe(II) can quantitatively and sensitively detect Fe2+ with high specifity.•DICO-Fe(II) was applied to detect Fe2+ in food samples, living cells, and zebrafish.•DICO-Fe(II) tracked the change of Fe2+ in the process of drug-induced liver injury.
Ferrous ions (Fe2+), the primary form of iron in cells, play a crucial role in various biological processes. The presence and absorption of Fe2+ in food has an important impact on human health. Proper dietary intake and iron supplementation are conducive to prevent and treat iron-related diseases. Therefore, it is of great value to develop tools that can specifically and sensitively detect Fe2+ in foods and organisms. Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes have attracted much attention due to their advantages including deep tissue penetration and lower background fluorescence. Herein, a NIR fluorescent probe DICO-Fe(II) with a new recognition mechanism was constructed. DICO-Fe(II) achieves the highly specific recognition of Fe2+ through its carbamoyl oxime recognition site and exhibits high sensitivity with a limit of detection of 47 nM. DICO-Fe(II) can quantitatively detect Fe2+ with the naked eye through RGB values. It was also successfully applied to detect Fe2+ in food samples, cells, zebrafish, and mice tissues, confirming its potential as a modern analytical tool for the detection of Fe2+ in food and biological organisms.