A Novel Colorimetric and Fluorescent Probe for Detection of Hydrogen Sulfide

To detect the level of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the environment and living beings, a colorimetric and fluorescent turn-off probe based on selective thiolyling of NBD (7-nitro-1,2,3-benzoxadiazole) amino was prepared through one-step organic synthesis. The selectivity and sensitivity of the probe were investigated by using sodium sulfide as an H2S donor in PBS buffer. The fluorescent intensity of the probe exhibited good linear relationship with concentration of H2S in the concentration range of 5-50 mu mol/L, and the detection limit was estimated to be 0.125 mu mol/L. The color of the solution changed from light yellow to light violet. The cell survival rate was higher than 90% when the concentration of the probe was below 50 mu mol/L. The results of cell imaging experiments showed that the probe could be used for imaging H2S in the lysosomes of the cells.