An Activatable Near-Infrared Fluorescence Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Donor for Imaging H2S Release and Inhibiting Inflammation in Cells

摘要

Hydrogen sulfide (H_(2)S) is a vital endogenous signal molecule that exerts critical physiological functions such as biological regulation and cytoprotection. Despite significant progress in developing H_(2)S donors, site-specific delivery and controllable release of H_(2)S in biological systems remain a key challenge. Herein, we develop new Cys-triggered fluorescent H_(2)S donor Pro-S that is composed of a dicyanoisophorone-based near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent dye and a thiocarbamate moiety. The H_(2)S donor releases H_(2)S under the attack of Cys, accompanied by the release of a fluorescent reporter, which enables the real-time capturing of H_(2)S by fluorescence spectroscopy or microscopy. Pro-S exhibits strong NIR fluorescence enhancement (70-fold), excellent controllable H_(2)S release (30 min), high H_(2)S release efficiency (62%), and well live-cell compatibility, allowing for visualization of H_(2)S release in cells and zebrafish. Moreover, Pro-S presents a good effect of anti-inflammation in RAW 264.7 cells. This work provides a new idea for the design of H_(2)S donors, which may be beneficial to the comprehension of the potential mechanism of inflammation and optimization of treatment strategies.