An AIE mechanism-based fluorescent probe for relay recognition of HSO3−/H2O2 and its application in food detection and bioimaging

In view of the important physiological role of HSO3- and H2O2, it is of great significance to develop fluorescent probes to detect HSO3- and H2O2 in aqueous medium. We herein report a new fluorescent probe (E)-3-(2-(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)styryl)benzo [d]thiazol-3-ium-3-yl)propane-1-sulfonate (TPE-y) possessing benzothiazolium salt based on tetraphenylethene (TPE) moiety with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics. TPE-y can sequentially recognize HSO3- and H2O2 through colorimetric and fluorescence dual-channel response in HEPES (pH = 7.4, 1% DMSO) buffer solution, and exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity, a large Stokes shift (189 nm), as well as a wide applicable pH range. The detection limits of TPE-y and TPE-y-HSO3 for HSO3- and H2O2 are 3.52 μM and 0.15 μM, respectively. The recognition mechanism is verified by 1H NMR and HRMS methods. Furthermore, TPE-y can detect HSO3- in sugar samples, and can image exogenous HSO3- and H2O2 in living MCF-7 cells. TPE-y can relay detect HSO3- and H2O2, which is of great significance to maintain the redox balance in organisms.