A highly sensitive near-infrared fluorescent probe for the detection of hydrogen sulfide and its application in living cells and mice

Abstract

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), an endogenous gaseous signalling molecule, has attracted attention in biochemical research. The detection of H₂S in living systems is essential for studying its functions. Although a variety of probes have been reported for the detection of cellular H₂S, the development of rapid, highly selective and sensitive near-infrared (NIR) probes for in vivo detection of H₂S still remains a challenging target. Herein we synthesized a near-infrared fluorescent probe Cy-PBA, with good selectivity, high sensitivity (limit of detection = 21 nM) and rapid response time (<1.5 minutes). Importantly, Cy-PBA was successfully applied for fluorescence imaging of H₂S in living cells, mice and tissues with low cytotoxicity, indicating that it owns broad application prospects in the detection of H₂S in biological samples.