A novel fluorescent probe for imaging endogenous hydrogen sulfide in living cells and mice models of acute liver injury

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) performs essential functions in several physiological and pathological procedures, such as liver cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus, and cancer. To optimize the H2S detection in practical applications, herein, a new probe YG-H2S for the fluorescent imaging of H2S was developed. Compared with the current H2S probes, the main advantages of YG-H2S were a wide pH range (5.0–9.0), a relatively fast response (within 10 min), and high selectivity from the competitive species (including biological mercaptan). Owing to the low cytotoxicity of YG-H2S, it was good for the biological depth imaging in biological events. YG-H2S could detect endogenous H2S in HeLa cells. In addition, YG-H2S could monitor the level of H2S in 4 T1-xenograft and acute liver injury model mice as well as in separate tissues. Consequently, YG-H2S might be a potential method for detecting H2S in preliminary diagnosis.