A mitochondria-targeted H_(2)S-activatable fluorogenic probe for tracking hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury(HIRI)is the cause of postoperative hepatic dysfunction and failure,and even death.As an important biological effector molecule,hydrogen sulfide(H_(2)S)of mitochondria as a gasotransmitter that is usually used to protect against acute HIRI injury.However,the exact relationship between HIRI and mitochondrial H_(2)S remains tangled due to the lack of an effective analytical method.Herein,we have fabricated a mitochondria-targeted H_(2)S-activatable fluorogenic probe(Mito-GW)to explore the stability of mitochondrial H_(2)S and track the changes of mitochondrial H_(2)S during the HIRI.By virtue of pyridinium electropositivity and its amphiphilicity,Mito-GW could accumulate in mitochondria.It goes through an analyte-prompted immolation when reacts with H_(2)S,resulting in the releasing of the fluorophore(GW).Therefore,the extent of Mito-GW conversion to GW can be used to evaluate the changes of mitochondrial H_(2)S level in living cells and tissues.As proof-of-principle,we have used MitoGW to demonstrate the mitochondria H_(2)S-levels increase and then decrease during HIRI in vitro and in vivo.Our research highlights the tremendous potential of Mito-GW as a mitochondrial H_(2)S fluorogenic probe in elucidating the pathogenesis of HIRI,providing a powerful tool for promoting future research on hepatology.