AZO-Flav: a powerful tool for hypoxia detection in cancer cells

AZO-Flav is a fluorescent sensor for hypoxic condition in cancer cells. This data set shows the selectivity towards reductase that highly expressed in hypoxic cells. When the cells are exposed to hypoxia for more than 6 h, the the fluorescent signal from the reduction product (AZO-NH2) is observed. The signal increase when the hypoxic cells are incubated with AZO-Flav. Moreover, the use of a chemical that inhibit electron transfer process, diphenyliodonium chloride (DPIC), in the tested system confirms the reductase-dependent mechanism occurs.