Rational design of a near-infrared dual-emission fluorescent probe for ratiometric imaging of glutathione in cells

Sensors for which the output signal is an intensity change for a single-emission peak are easily disturbed by many factors, such as the stability of the instrument, intensity of the excitation light, and biological background. However, for ratiometric fluorescence sensors, the output signal is a change in the intensity ratio of two or more emission peaks. The fluorescence intensity of these emission peaks is similarly affected by external factors; thus, these sensors have the ability to self-correct, which can greatly improve the accuracy and reliability of the detection results. To accurately image glutathione (GSH) in cells, gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) with intrinsic double emission at wavelengths of 606 nm and 794 nm were synthesized from chloroauric acid. With the emission peak at 606 nm as the recognition signal and the emission peak at 794 nm as the reference signal, a near-infrared dual-emission ratio fluorescence sensing platform was constructed to accurately detect changes in the GSH concentration in cells. In vitro and in vivo analyses showed that the ratiometric fluorescent probe specifically detects GSH and enables ultrasensitive imaging, providing a new platform for the accurate detection of active small molecules. Graphical Abstract