Monitoring the fluctuation of H2S in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells and diabetic mice with a dual-locked NIR fluorescent probe

Diabetes has emerged as a global health challenge and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is thought to be related to diabetes. We herein reported a dual-locked near-infrared fluorescent probe (DLSP) to monitor the fluctuation of H2S in vitro and in vivo. DLSP displayed excellent selectivity and high sensitivity to H2S comparing with single-locked probes (SLSP-1/2). Using probe DLSP, the visualization of the biosynthesis of endogenous H2S production in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells (IR-HepG2 cells) and the fluctuation of H2S in diabetic mice was realized for the first time.