Novel ruthenium(II) complex-based two-photon luminescent probe for visualizing biothiols in ferroptosis-mediated hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Ferroptosis exhibits a critical role in the occurrence and progression of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI), which is closely linked to the down regulation of biothiols. Visualization of biothiols in ferroptosis is of great significance for elucidating the pathological mechanism of HIRI as well as developing new clinical treatment strategies. However, reliable tools for monitoring biothiols and demonstrating their dynamic changes in ferroptosis-mediated HIRI are still lacking. Herein, this work developed an innovative Ru(II) complex-based two-photon luminescent probe, named Ru-PDBS, for accurate tracking the biothiols fluxes in ferroptosis-mediated HIRI. The newly developed probe possessed high sensitivity, good selectivity and favorable biocompatibility, which makes it to be used for imaging and dynamic monitoring of biothiols in living cells during ferroptosis-mediated HIRI. Furthermore, visualization of biothiols in mouse livers during ferroptosis-mediated HIRI and drug treatment was achieved for the first time. All these results suggested that Ru-PDBS can serve as a reliable tool for elucidating the pathogenesis of ferroptosis-mediated HIRI, as well as for developing of new therapies.