A near-infrared BODIPY-based fluorescent probe for the detection of hydrogen sulfide in fetal bovine serum and living cells

A near-infrared (NIR) “off–on” fluorescent probe BDP-680 was developed by taking advantage of the Michael addition reaction of unsaturated double bonds in conformationally restricted BODIPY to allow detection of H2S. The new probe possesses a highly selective and sensitive response to H2S. Such a NIR probe has been applied successfully to detect H2S in 10% deproteinized fetal bovine serum (FBS). The detection limit of the probe for NaSH in 10% deproteinized FBS sample was calculated to be about 1 μM which is consistent with the value obtained from serum free solutions (0.5 μM). The probe is of low toxicity and has been successfully used to detect H2S in living cells.