Fluorescent probe technology has been widely used in biochemistry, medicine, environmental science and industry due to its high selectivity, high sensitivity, excellent temporal and spatial resolution and rapid response. Resorufin is widely used in the design of small molecule fluorescent chemical probes due to its excellent optical properties. It has found a wide range of applications in molecular recognition and molecular imaging in analytical chemistry, biology and medicine. In this review, we systematically summarize the development of resorufin-based fluorescent probes in the determination of enzymes, reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen (RNS), reactive sulfur (RSS), ions, etc. The design strategies, recognition mechanisms and biological applications of various resorufin-based fluorescent probes are discussed in detail to promote the further development and biological applications of resorufin-based fluorescent probes. In addition, we also outlook on the development trend and the prospects of probes based on the resorufin platform.

Han Wang and Huihui Su, postgraduate students of the Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, are the co-authors of the paper. Professor Weili Zhao and Dr. Jian Zhang of the Laboratory, Professor Jianhong Wang and Dr. Jiamin Wang from the Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine and Immuno-Engineering of Henan Province of Henan University are the corresponding authors of the paper. This work has been strongly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Key Scientific and Technological Project of Henan Province.