Two-photon imaging of hydrogen polysulfides in living cells and hippocampal tissues

Hydrogen polysulfide (H2Sn) is an emerging topic of research because it plays a critical role in the pathological and physiological activities of an organism. Therefore, visual monitoring of H2Sn activity in living cells is critical. In our work, a two-photon fluorescent probe NI-H2Sn based on a naphthalimide skeleton was developed as a molecular tool for detecting hydrogen polysulfides in solution and live HeLa cells. NI-H2Sn showed rapid response and high sensitivity. Notably, hydrogen polysulfides in hippocampal tissue of mice could also be tracked using the probe under a two-photon fluorescence microscope. Therefore, this probe NI-H2Sn is expected to serve as a pragmatic tool for studying the physiological roles of hydrogen polysulfides in living cells and in vivo.