In Situ Activatable Ratiometric NIR-II Fluorescence Nanoprobe for Quantitative Detection of H2S in Colon Cancer

As key characteristic molecules, several H2S-activated probes have been explored for colon cancer studies. However, a few ratiometric fluorescence (FL) probes with NIR-II emissions have been reported for the quantitative detection of H2S in colon cancer in vivo. Here, we developed an in situ H2S-activatable ratiometric nanoprobe with two NIR-II emission signals for the detection of H2S and intelligently lighting up colon cancer. The nanoprobe comprised a down conversion nanoparticle (DCNP), which emitted NIR-II FL at 1550 nm on irradiation with a 980 nm laser (F1550Em, 980Ex). Further, human serum albumin (HSA) was combined with Ag+ on the surface of DCNP to form a DCNP@HSA-Ag+ nanoprobe. In the presence of H2S, Ag2S quantum dots (QDs) were formed in coated HSA, which emitted FL at approximately 1050 nm on irradiation with an 808 nm laser (F1050Em, 808Ex) through an H2S-induced chemical reaction between H2S and Ag+; however, the FL signal of DCNP was stable at 1550 nm (F1550Em, 980Ex), generating a H2S concentration-dependent ratiometric F1050Em, 808Ex/F1550Em, 980Ex signal. The NIR-II ratiometric nanoprobe was successfully used for the accurate quantitative detection of H2S and the detection of the precise location of colon cancer through an endogenous H2S-induced in situ reduction reaction to form Ag2S QDs. Thus, these findings provide a new strategy for the specific detection of targeted molecules and diagnosis of disease based on the in situ-activatable NIR-II ratiometric FL nanoprobe.