Green light activated BODIPY based Hydrogen sulfide donor.

Abstract

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a small gaseous molecule which is known to be a toxic air pollutant. It is now widely recognised as a gasotransmitter, which has a vital role in many physiological processes. It protects human tissues from inflammation, helps in vasodilation, H2S secreted by enteric bacteria in small concentration helps in smooth functioning of gastrointestinal processes. However, delivery of H2S to biological systems is a cumbersome process, it is a small gaseous molecule, and hence it is highly diffusible. Sulfide salts like Na2S and NaSH are widely used in the delivery of H2S in laboratories. But it’s rapid, uncontrolled release of H2S is a severe drawback, and hence it cannot be used efficiently in biological systems. To overcome these difficulties, researchers realised the need for localised delivery of H2S in a controlled manner. Henceforth researchers have developed several H2S donors with different triggers. Considering that a light source can be directed to specific targets, light-activated delivery of H2S can be envisaged as an ideal strategy. This may provide spatiotemporal control over the release of the gaseous molecule. Different groups have reported molecule which releases H2S when exposed to light, all these reported molecules account for the spatiotemporal release of the molecule, but a significant drawback of these designs was, the wavelength they used has low tissue penetration and has phototoxic effects. Here we are introducing a new H2S donor which cleaves under green light, which has no phototoxic effects reported.