A highly selective and sensitive endoplasmic reticulum-targeted probe reveals HOCl- and cisplatin-induced HS 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 (H 2 S) carries out signaling functions at submicromolar levels because of its high reactivity. Mechanisms of dynamic regulation of ROS and H 2 S production are poorly understood, and the development of a highly selective and organelle-targeted chemical tool will advance the further understanding of H 2 S 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 H 2 S biogenesis for the first time. The probe demonstrates a 152-fold fluorescence enhancement at 520 nm after reaction with H 2 S to release a bright BODIPY product (quantum yield 0.36). The probe is highly selective toward H 2 S over biothiols, ER-targeted, and biocompatible. In addition, the probe was successfully employed to track H 2 S biogenesis in live cells via stimulation from exogenous hypochlorous acid and the drug cisplatin. A highly selective and sensitive, endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-targeted fluorescent probe was successfully developed and applied to reveal HOCl- and cisplatin-induced H 2 S biogenesis in live cells.