A highly selective "Turn On" fluorescent probe based on FRET mechanism for hydrogen sulfide detection in living cells

A novel class of fluorescent "turn on" probe based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) approach was designed, and successfully synthesized for the detection of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) both in vitro and in vivo. This new H2S responsive fluorescent probe was developed based on the basis of the dabsyl and fluorescein FRET system. In the presence of H2S, a fluorescence enhancement was markedly observed mainly due to the inhibition of the FRET process. This probe could quantitatively measure the level of H2S with the detection limit of 0.02 mu M. Cell imaging results demonstrated the potential applicability of a dabsylfluorescein probe for H2S detection in living cells.