A mitochondria targetable and viscosity sensitive fluorescent probe and its applications for distinguishing cancerous cells

The determination of mitochondrial viscosity is of great importance owing to its crucial roles in the diffusion-mediated processes. It has demonstrated that the viscosity in cancer cells is higher than normal cells. Developing of viscosity sensitive fluorescent probes for distinguishing normal cells and cancer cells is necessary. Herein, we present a mitochondrial-targeting fluorescent probe PFV for the detection of viscosity in live cells. It exhibited outstanding sensitivity to viscosity, free from disturbing by ROS/sulfuret even at high concentrations. Equipped with mitochondria targeting ability, PFV was then applied to mitochondrial viscosity detection. Most importantly, by viscosity monitoring PFV successfully differentiated normal hepatic cells and cancerous hepatic cells. The present study would offer a broadly applicable for the determination of viscosity in complex systems.