A dual-emission and mitochondria-targeted fluorescent probe for rapid detection of SO2 derivatives and its imaging in living cells

A novel mitochondria-targeted fluorescent probe for sensing SO 2 derivatives was constructed by integrating phenanthroimidazole and cyanine moieties. Excited by different channels, this probe exhibited unique dual-channel fluorescence-enhanced emissions and colorimetric response to HSO 3 - quickly (less than 20 s). The sensing process was confirmed to undergo nucleophilic addition of HSO 3 - to C˭C double bond in the probe Mito-PTB via NMR and HRMS analyses. Furthermore, fluorescence co-localization studies demonstrated that the probe Mito-PTB was a mitochondria-targetable fluorescent probe for SO 2 derivatives with good cell membrane permeability . Thus, probe Mito-PTB has the potential applications to explore the role played by SO 2 derivatives in biology.