A two-photon fluorescent probe with a large turn-on signal for imaging hydrogen sulfide in living tissues

•A two-photon fluorescent probe for sensing H2S was developed.•The probe shows a large turn on signal (120-fold enhancement).•The probe is suitable for fluorescence imaging of H2S in living cells and tissues.•The probe was capable of detecting H2S up to 170 μm depth in live tissues.

A two-photon fluorescence turn-on H2S probe GCTPOC–H2S based on a two-photon platform with a large cross-section, GCTPOC, and a sensitive H2S recognition site, dinitrophenyl ether was constructed. The probe GCTPOC–H2S exhibits desirable properties such as high sensitivity, high selectivity, functioning well at physiological pH and low cytotoxicity. In particular, the probe shows a 120-fold enhancement in the presence of Na2S (500 μM), which is larger than the reported two-photon fluorescent H2S probes. The large fluorescence enhancement of the two-photon probe GCTPOC–H2S renders it attractive for imaging H2S in living tissues with deep tissue penetration. Significantly, we have demonstrated that the probe GCTPOC–H2S is suitable for fluorescence imaging of H2S in living tissues with deep penetration by using two-photon microscopy. The further application of the two-photon probe for the investigation of biological functions and pathological roles of H2S in living systems is under progress.

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