Engineering of a dual-site molecular probe for logical bioimaging of lysosomal H2S and pH.

Lysosomes contains numerous enzymes and proteins closely linked with cellular metabolism. The variation of lysosomal pH is closely related to cell homeostasis while hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been regarded as an important gasotransmitter. Herein, via rational design, a high-sensitivity fluorescent probe ANp-Rh-Lys was synthesized for logical detection and bioimaging of H2S and pH in lysosomes of living cells. The probe showed different fluorescence signals towards H2S and lysosomal pH. Significantly, ANp-Rh-Lys is membrane-permeable and suitable for visualization of both pH variations and endogenous H2S in lysosomes. This logical design strategy may have great potential for detection of multiple analytes in complicated biological systems.