ABSTRACT
Superoxide anion radical ( O·-2 ) is the first generated reactive oxygen species ( ROS) and plays essential function in life processes. Normal level of O·-2 as important signaling molecular can regulate redox equilibrium, cellular proliferation and differentiation. However, abnormal level of O·-2 is closely associated with diseases, such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes. Hence it is significant to uncover diseases mechanism by exploring dynamic regulation of O·-2 . Considering the advantages of fluorescence imaging method, the key factor is to develop O·-2 probes with highly selective and sensitive properties for revealing the molecular mechanism of diseases. Recently, with the development of fluorescence microscopy, many fluorescent probes have been constructed and applied for imaging analysis of O·-2 . In this review, we mainly summarized the progress of O·-2 fluorescent probes according to the different probe structure and prospected the development directions of O·-2 probes.