A mitochondria targetable near-infrared fluorescence probe for glutathione visual biological detection.

Glutathione (GSH), an abundant non-protein thiol, plays a crucial role in numerous biotic processes. Herein, a mitochondria-targeted near-infrared GSH probe (JGP) was synthesized, which displayed desired properties with high specificity and sensitivity, appreciable water solubility, and rapid response time. In the presence of GSH, nearly a 13-fold fluorescence emission growth appeared at 730 nm and the solvent color changed from blue to cyan. The sensing mechanism of JGP and GSH was confirmed by a high-resolution mass spectroscopy analysis. Moreover, good cell penetration enabled JGP to be successfully used for imaging biological samples such as HeLa cells, , and especially rat brain slices. Imaging experiments showed that JGP could monitor the GSH concentration changes with a dose-dependent direct ratio in all the tested samples. The successful application of JGP in brain imaging indicates that JGP is a suitable GSH optical probe, which may have wide application value in fields of brain imaging. It also lays a theoretical and practical foundation for the further application of fluorescent probes in brain sciences.