Co-localization coefficients of a target-switchable fluorescent probe can serve as an indicator of mitochondrial membrane potential.

The mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) definitely reflects mitochondrial function. Thus, it is very essential to found a physical parameter as MMP indicator. At present, available parameters are either fluorescent intensity of monochromatic probes such as rhodamine 123 or a ratio of fluorescent intensity at different wavelengths of dual-color dyes such as JC-1, but the inconvenience in practice as well as serious effect of loading concentrations on experimental results limited their application. To address this concern, herein,we found a reliable and easily obtainable colocalization coefficient (CLC) of a fluorescent probe as new MMP indicator and developed a target switchable fluorescent probe (Mito-Lyso) to attain the aim. Because of its intrinsic nature, Mito-Lyso exclusively stains mitochondria with normal MMP and a subsequent decreasing of MMP results in release of some Mito-Lyso. Importantly, the released Mito-Lyso can reversibly transfer between mitochondria and lysosomes. Thus, CLCs of Mito-Lyso and a commercial lysosomal probe (NIR-Lyso) can be MMP-dependent. CLCs gradually increased from 0.20 to 0.8 with the decreasing of MMP and then returned to 0.3 with the recovering of MMP, which better proves that the CLC is a valuable MMP indicator. Furthermore, both the design principle and action mechanism of Mito-Lyso has been explained in detail for the development of this type of probes.