A rapid and sensitive fluorescent probe for detecting hydrogen polysulfides in living cells and zebra fish.

Hydrogen polysulfides (H2Sn, n>1) plays crucial roles in many biological processes, while it remains a challenge for rapid and selective detection of H2Sn. We designed and synthesized a turn-on fluorescent probe (JCCF) for detecting H2Sn based on a new julolidine-coumarinocoumarin scaffold. H2Sn could trigger a dramatic fluorescence enhancement (52-fold) with a fast response time and a low detection limit of 98.3 nM (S/N = 3). Moreover, JCCF was successfully applied to image H2Sn in living cells and zebra fish with low cytotoxicity.