Fluorescent Probes for the Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide in Biological Systems

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), are important byproducts of oxygen metabolites. They are essential to life, but become highly harmful in case of exhaustion of antioxidants, causing oxidative stress through the oxidation of biomolecules. Sensitive and selective tools are needed to study H2O2 in living systems owing to its reactive and transient nature. The fluorescent H2O2 probes are powerful tools due to their high sensitivity, simplicity in data collection, and high spatial resolution in microscopic imaging techniques. This review focuses on the remarkable progress achieved in this field in the last few years.