A cytoplasm-applicative aggregation-induced fluorescent probe for detecting hydrogen sulfide and imaging study

Herein, a cytoplasm-applicative aggregation-induced fluorescent probe Pyr-HS was developed for detecting H2S in living cells and C. elegans. The trials were carried out to utilize the aggregation-induced strategy to realize the wide linear range as well as cytoplasm-applicative imaging capability. In-solution tests suggested that Pyr-HS responded to H2S with notable fluorescence enhancement and naked-eye observed color change. The detecting product Pyr-OH exhibited the obvious aggregation to form crystal clusters. By coupling the correlation curves, the linear range of the detecting system was extended to 0-1500 μM, with the LOD value of 0.4481 μM. The Pyr-HS has high sensitivity and selectivity. With low cyto-toxicity, Pyr-HS achieved the imaging of both the exogenous and endogenous H2S in living cells and Caenorhabditis elegans. The aggregation of the detecting product locked the fluorescence signals in the cytoplasm, which was a potential cytoplasm-applicative imaging pattern. This work was informatic with the aggregation-induced strategy in introducing the wide linear range and cytoplasm-applicative imaging.