Red-emitting carbon dots as highly sensitive fluorescent probes for detecting changes of ClO(-)in inflammatory systems and cell pyroptosis.

Inflammatory responses associated with pyroptosis have been shown to promote reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Among these ROS, hypochlorite (ClO) plays a pivotal role in regulating inflammatory progression. Herein, red-emissive carbon dots (N-CDs) with a maximum emission at 611 nm and a fluorescence quantum yield of 24.1% were developed. The N-CDs exhibit sensitive and selective fluorescence modulation toward ClO, achieving a low detection limit of 0.056 μM. The N-CDs function as versatile fluorescent nanoprobes for monitoring exogenous ClO dynamics in living cells, evaluating inflammatory status in cellular and zebrafish models, and assessing gouty arthritis in rats. Notably, the N-CDs enable real-time visualization of pyroptosis in living cells through distinct fluorescence signal evolution. Such fluorescence modulation provides a reliable readout for monitoring pyroptosis-associated oxidative stress. This work establishes a sensitive and specific platform for ClO detection in inflammatory environments and highlights the potential applicability of red-emissive carbon dots for dynamic monitoring of inflammation-related cellular processes.