Monitoring the level of hydrogen sulfide in arthritis and its treatment with a novel near-infrared fluorescent probe.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a physiological gaseous transmitter that plays a crucial role in maintaining the cellular redox state. Arthritis is usually accompanied by redness, swelling, pain, dysfunction and deformity of the joints, and in severe cases can lead to joint disability. Disorders of H2S level are associated with the pathological process of arthritis. In this paper, a near-infrared fluorescent probe (TX-H2S) was developed to detect the alterations in H2S levels of arthritis. TX-H2S has excellent response performance to H2S such as near-infrared emission (725 nm), large Stokes shift (125 nm) and high fluorescence enhancement (72-fold). Owing to low cytotoxicity, the probe can be employed to observe the alterations of exogenous and endogenous H2S level in HeLa and HepG2 cells. By making full use of near-infrared emission and good biocompatibility, the probe can be employed for exogenous H2S imaging in mice, and is able to track the fluctuation of H2S level during arthritis and its treatment. These make the probe have the potential to invent an efficient tool for the diagnosis of arthritic disease and its treatment.