Dually responsive fluorescence probe based on dicyanoisophorone for sensing polarity/pH in living systems and environmental systems

Polarity serves as a vital parameter in assessing diagnosing diseases, reflecting quality in cellular metabolic status. In this work, two novel dicyanoisophorone-based fluorescence probes ( DCIV-1 and DCIV-2 ) have designed and synthesized, capable of detecting pH levels and polarity fluctuation effectively. A detailed analysis of the probe's optical properties reveals that DCIV-1 and DCIV-2 exhibit distinct fluorescence and colorimetric responses under varying pH conditions. Meanwhile, DCIV-1 and DCIV-2 exhibit excellent responsiveness to polarity change respectively. Biological application reveals that both probes are successfully applied for distinguishing between cancer cells and normal cells. Furthermore, DCIV-1 and DCIV-2 enable rapid pH values in real water samples. As a convenient detection method, probe-based test strips have developed for detecting pH changes. This work highlights the potential of DCIV-1 and DCIV-2 for pH levels and polarity monitoring in biological and environmental fields.