Abstract
In order to explore the complex interaction between H(2)S and the development of related diseases, it is urgently necessary to develop effective visualization methods to monitor the dynamic changes of H(2)S in real time. Herein, we constructed the NIR fluorescent probe HCy-SSPy based on disulfide cleavage for the rapid imaging of H(2)S. The hemicyanine (HCy-NH(2)) unit was used as a NIR fluorophore, and asymmetric pyridyl disulfides (SSPy) acted as the specific recognition receptor for H(2)S. The synthesized HCy-SSPy showed a remarkable NIR turn-on signal at 765 nm activated by H(2)S. This probe also possessed excellent selectivity and high sensitivity, as well as rapid detection ability for H(2)S (∼5 s). Moreover, the low cytotoxicity, mitochondrial localization, and excellent cell imaging performance of HCy-SSPy were discussed. Further biological experiments revealed that the probe not only imaged H(2)S in tumor-bearing mice but also showed great potential for H(2)S detection in inflammatory processes.