Abstract
A fluorescent probe, DPPEC (1,2-dipalmitoylglycerophosphorylethanolamine labeled with coumarin) was developed for detecting hydroxyl radical (·OH) in lipid membranes. The coumarin moiety contributes to the fluorescent detection of ·OH and the phospholipids moiety gives a driving force to localize the probe in lipid membranes. DPPEC in liposomal membranes rapidly reacted with ·OH and increased the fluorescence intensity, depending on the concentration of ·OH. The increase in the fluorescence intensity induced by ·OH was effectively suppressed by the addition of DMSO. The probe exhibited a higher fluorescence response to ·OH over other reactive oxygen species, such as hydrogen peroxide, nitric oxide, peroxynitrite, alkylperoxyl radical, and hypochlorite. DPPEC would be useful as a new type of fluorescent probe that can localize in lipid membranes and detect ·OH efficiently.
