Mitochondria-targeted NIR fluorescent probe for detection of hydrogen sulfide and its application in monitoring food freshness and bioimaging.

BACKGROUND

The hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in spoilage of raw meat poses significant food safety risks to human health. Meanwhile, as a signaling molecule, H2S is crucial for maintaining human physiological homeostasis. Thus, the establishment of an efficient method for H2S detection is essential for safeguarding human health.

RESULTS

In this work, a NIR fluorescent probe TPAW (emission at 690 nm) based on ICT effect for detection of H2S was constructed. TPAW exhibited fast response (<10 s), high selectivity, high sensitivity, good biocompatibility, and mitochondrial targeting ability. The testing mechanism was thoroughly validated by 1H NMR and ESI-MS. In addition, application studies demonstrated that TPAW can effectively monitor H2S produced during food spoilage under 365 nm UV light via portable test strips based on smartphone analyze. Furthermore, TPAW was successfully employed for imaging H2S in A549 cells and zebrafish, demonstrating its potential utility in biomedical research.

SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides a promising and effective tool for applications and research in biomedical application and food safety.