A novel colorimetric and red-emitting fluorescent probe based on benzopyrylium derivatives for selective detection and imaging of SO2 derivatives in cells and zebrafish

Abnormal levels of endogenous sulfur dioxide in organisms will cause cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological diseases. Therefore, the development of an effective detecting method for real-time, quantitative detection of sulfur dioxide derivatives in organisms is of great importance in physiological and pathological aspects. In this work, a red-emitting SO2 fluorescent probe based on benzopyrylium derivatives were designed and synthesized to specifically detect SO2 derivatives by nucleophilic addition of unsaturated carbon-carbon double bonds. The probe is characterized with rapid response, “naked eye” visualization, broad detection range and high sensitivity (8.1 μM) for SO2 derivatives. In addition, it has been applied to track the dynamic, real-time, visual detection of exogenous and endogenous SO2 in cells, and imaging of exogenous SO2 derivatives in zebrafish.