“Light-Up” Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe for Visualization of Hydrogen Sulfide Content and Abiotic Stress Response in Plants

Abstract

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) plays a vital role in plant physiology and stress adaptation, but the detection of endogenous H₂S remains a challenge. In this work, a near-infrared fluorescent probe (NIR-BOD-HS) was synthesized using boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) as the raw material, which showed a good linear relationship in the concentration range of 0.1–70 μM and a detection limit of 56 nM. The long-wavelength emission (712 nm) reduced the interference of plant autofluorescence and improved the imaging quality. The probe combined with fluorescence imaging technology nondestructively realized the spatiotemporal distribution signal of H₂S in the deep tissues of plants. In addition, the dynamic changes of H₂S content during seed germination and seedling growth under abiotic stress were also demonstrated through the changes in fluorescence signals. This study helps to understand the physiological response mechanism of plants under abiotic stress and provides a scientific basis for further research on plant imaging and agricultural production.