Abstract:
Sulfane sulfur species in the reactive sulfur species family include hydrogen polysulfides (H
2S
n,
n ≥2), which play an essential role in physiological regulation and signal transduction. As a redox pair of H
2S, H
2S
n can be produced through oxidation or enzyme reaction and regulate protein interaction and enzyme activity.Research has revealed that H
2S
n, with higher efficiency of protein S-sulfhydration than H
2S, may be responsible for some physiological functions previously attributed to H
2S.Therefore, real-time detection of H
2S
n is crucial for studying its physiological activity and the relationship between H
2S and H
2S
n.Traditional detection methods, such as mass spectrometry, are not suitable for living organisms as they require tissue cell disruption.Instead, fluorescence probes are often used for in situ real-time detection due to their high sensitivity and specificity and low biological toxicity.This review summarizes the physiological regulatory activity of H
2S
n, as well as the design strategy, response mechanism, fluorescence characteristics, and biological applications of H
2S
n fluorescent probes based on the structure of the response group, with a prospect of the challenges and developments in this field.