A highly selective and sensitive endoplasmic reticulum-targeted probe reveals HOCl- and cisplatin-induced H 2 S biogenesis in live cells.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive sulfur species (RSS) are involved in many physiological processes and act as collaborators with crosstalk. As an important member of gasotransmitters and RSS, hydrogen sulfide (HS) carries out signaling functions at submicromolar levels because of its high reactivity. Mechanisms of dynamic regulation of ROS and HS production are poorly understood, and the development of a highly selective and organelle-targeted chemical tool will advance the further understanding of HS chemical biology and ROS/RSS crosstalk. Herein, we report a highly selective and sensitive, endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-targeted fluorescent probe (ER-BODIPY-NBD) for revealing cisplatin-induced HS biogenesis for the first time. The probe demonstrates a 152-fold fluorescence enhancement at 520 nm after reaction with HS to release a bright BODIPY product (quantum yield 0.36). The probe is highly selective toward HS over biothiols, ER-targeted, and biocompatible. In addition, the probe was successfully employed to track HS biogenesis in live cells stimulation from exogenous hypochlorous acid and the drug cisplatin.