A two-photon fluorescent probe with a large turn-on signal for imaging hydrogen sulfide in living tissues

A two-photon fluorescence turn-on H2S probe GCTPOC-H2S based on a two-photon platform with a large cross-section, GCTPOC, and a sensitive H2S recognition site, dinitrophenyl ether was constructed. The probe GCTPOC-H2S exhibits desirable properties such as high sensitivity, high selectivity, functioning well at physiological pH and low cytotoxicity. In particular, the probe shows a 120-fold enhancement in the presence of Na2S (500 μM), which is larger than the reported two-photon fluorescent H2S probes. The large fluorescence enhancement of the two-photon probe GCTPOC-H2S renders it attractive for imaging H2S in living tissues with deep tissue penetration. Significantly, we have demonstrated that the probe GCTPOC-H2S is suitable for fluorescence imaging of H2S in living tissues with deep penetration by using two-photon microscopy. The further application of the two-photon probe for the investigation of biological functions and pathological roles of H2S in living systems is under progress.