Fluorescent Detection of Dynamic H2O2/H2S Redox Event in Living Cells and Organisms.

The elusive mechanism of action between signaling molecules H2O2 and H2S in oxidative stress demands a fluorescent probe, capable of their detection in a discriminative and dynamic manner. Herein we report the design and study of a probe TCAB. As demonstrated, it responds to H2O2 and H2S selectively and sensitively to generate distinct fluorescence signals and patterns. Cyan imaging for H2O2 in a ratiometric fashion and two-colored, enhanced blue and newly produced red for H2S are observed. When both are present, the sequential reaction of H2O2 and H2S with the probe gives cyan then red signal, while the reverse sequence produces an inverse red-cyan signal. The unrivaled discriminative multicolor imaging capacity of the probe enables us to monitor dynamic H2O2 and H2S redox processes in living cells and organisms. It is expected that the probe could serve as a powerful tool to investigate the correlation and distinction of biologically significant H2S- and H2O2-engaged redox processes.