Neo-construction of a SO2-tunable near-infrared ratiometric fluorescent probe for high-fidelity diagnosis and evaluation hazards of Cd2+-induced liver injury

Cadmium-contaminated water and food are seriously hazardous to the human health, especially liver injury. To understand the entanglement relationship between cadmium ion (Cd2+)-induced liver injury and the biomarker sulfur dioxide (SO2), a reliable bioanalytical tool is urgently needed, detecting SO2 to diagnose and evaluate the extent of liver injury in vivo. Herein, based on the Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) mechanism, a novel SO2-tunable NIR ratiometric fluorescent probe (SMP) was developed, it was used to diagnose and treat liver injury induced by Cd2+ in biosystems. Specifically, it was constructed by conjugating a NIR dicyanoisophorone with a NIR benzopyranate as the donor and acceptor, respectively, and the ratiometric response of SO2- regulated by the Michael addition reaction. In addition, SMP exhibits rapid reaction time (<15 s), two well-resolved emission peaks (68 nm) with less cross-talk between channels for high imaging resolution, superior selectivity, and low limit of detection (LOD=80.3 nM) for SO2 detection. Impressively, SMP has been successfully used for intracellular ratiometric imaging of Cd2+-induced SO2 and diagnostic and therapeutic evaluation in liver injury mice models with satisfactory results. Therefore, SMP may provide a powerful molecular tool for revealing the occurrence and development relationship between SO2 and Cd2+-induced liver injury. Cadmium ions are one of the well-known toxic environmental pollutants, which are enriched in the human body through inhalation of cadmium-contaminated air or from the food chain, leading to damage in various organs, especially liver injury. Therefore, we developed a novel fluorescent probe that can specifically detect SO2 in Cd2+-induced liver injury, which is critically important for the diagnosis and evaluation of Cd2+-induced liver injury diseases. The specific detection of SO2 of this probe has been successfully demonstrated in live HepG2 cells and Cd2+-induced liver injury mice.