Abstract:
Uric acid is an important inflammatory component, which is produced by the xanthine oxidase (XO)-catalyzed
reaction of xanthine. The presence of uric acid in blood serum above the normal value leads to the formation
of urate crystals and causes the growth of gout. Therefore, herein, a naphthalimide-based turn-on fluorescent
probe was developed to monitor the uric acid and xanthine oxidase concentration in an aqueous system. The
probe exhibited high selectivity towards uric acid and the xanthine oxidase-catalyzed reaction of xanthine. The
fluorescence emission of the probe was enhanced upon the binding of uric acid, generated by the XO-assisted
oxidation reaction. The detection limit for xanthine oxidase was calculated to be 0.7 U mL 1
. The specificity of
the probe for xanthine oxidase was confirmed by treating the enzyme with allopurinol. The endogenous
images of uric acid in HeLa cells were obtained using a fluorescence microscope.
