Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe with a Large Stokes Shift for Detection of Hydrogen Sulfide in Food Spoilage, Living...

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is a significant component of various physiological processes, and it can also cause a negative effect on foodstuffs. In this work, we designed and synthesized an NIR fluorescent turn-on responding probe (DDM-HS) with a large Stokes shift (190 nm) for the detection of H₂S. DDM-HS exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity, obvious color changes, and a fast response time for tracing H₂S. When DDM-HS reacted with H₂S, the PET process was eliminated, and the recovered ICT process and NIR fluorescence were observed. Moreover, DDM-HS could image endogenous and exogenous H₂S in living HeLa cells and zebrafish. What is more, the probe DDM-HS could be deposited easily to test paper strips, which were able to detect the H₂S gas produced during food spoilage (such as eggs, raw meat, and fishes) by the color of test paper strips changing from pink to purple. Therefore, this work provides a promising approach for monitoring H₂S in complicated biological systems and practical food samples.