Fluorescent properties of antioxidant cysteine ABZ analogue

The antioxidant properties of aminobenzamide cysteine (ABZ Cys) makes it a molecule that can potentially be used as a drug in oxidative stress related diseases and delivered in the form of a nanoparticles. Here we have studied the photo-physical properties of ABZ Cys, a fluorescent analogue of a popular antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). We have compared ABZ Cys steady state and time-resolved fluorescence properties with its parent compounds anthranilic acid and anthranilamide in solution as well as in poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) polymer films. ABZ Cys did not show any significant shift in absorption after entrapment in PVA film, but there was a shift towards shorter wavelengths in the emission peak compared to the phosphate buffer solution. Fluorescence lifetimes and quantum yields indicated a slight quenching of ABZ Cys fluorescence in comparison to the cysteine-less parent compounds. We also demonstrated that very low concentrations of ABZ Cys, such as 100 nM, are readily detected by a commercial spectrofluorometer. Hence we have established the possible use of ABZ Cys in biomedical applications.