Two near-infrared highly sensitive cyanine fluorescent probes for pH monitoring

Two near-infrared (NIR) pH-activated heptamethine indocyanine probes with quaternary ammonium unit were designed and synthesized. The absorption and emission titrations indicate that cationic structure improves the cyanine dye’s aqueous solubility and these two probes exhibit highly sensitive response to pH in acid condition. Their fluorescence intensities both gradually increase about 25-fold from pH 7.60 to 3.00 with pKa values of 4.72 and 4.45 respectively, which are suitable for studying acidic organelles in living cells. Moreover, their fluorescence intensities are linearly proportional to pH values in the range of 5.50–4.00. These results are probably attributed to the protonation of the indole nitrogen atoms, which are verified by 1H NMR spectra. Furthermore, these two probes can achieve real-time imaging of cellular pH and detection of pH in situ in living HeLa cells due to their excellent properties, including good reversibility, desirable photostability, high selectivity, low cytotoxicity and remarkable membrane permeability.