Chemoselective reduction and self-immolation based FRET probes for detecting hydrogen sulfide in solution and in cells

Abstract

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) has been regarded as the third gaseous transmitter. Based on the mechanism of chemoselective azido reduction and self-immolation, five fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) probes for the detection of H₂S were designed and synthesized. The effect of functional substitution of the self-immolative moiety on azido reduction and quinone-methide rearrangement were investigated. Their fluorescence responses and chemoselectivity for H₂S detection were evaluated in solutions and in cells. This strategy may provide a general route for designing H₂S probes with many commercially available FRET pairs.