A Near-Infrared Fluorescence Probe for Thiols Based on Analyte-Specific Cleavage of Carbamate and Its Application in Bioimaging

With increasing interest in optical in vivo imaging, there is a corresponding increase in demand for near-infrared (NIR) dyes. Such probes can be used, for example, to detect intracellular GSH, which would be helpful for understanding the mechanisms of diseases. In this work, we report a cyanine-based fluorescent probe that undergoes biothiol-promoted specific O-S cleavage and subsequent self-immolation through intramolecular 1,6-elimination. In addition, we investigated the cell viability of the system and successfully applied the probe to living cells, in vivo, and in various tissues.