A quick response fluorescent probe based on coumarin and quinone for glutathione and its application in living cells

• This probe can discriminate glutathione from sulfhydryl compound by PET process.
• This probe can be used to determine glutathione in aqueous solution within 1 min.
• This probe has been successfully applied in living cell image.

We have designed and synthesized a simple but effective fluorescent probe for sensing glutathione (GSH) by PET process based on coumarin and quinone, which worked as fluorophore and reaction site, respectively. The probe could discriminate GSH from cysteine and homocysteine within 1 min in PBS-buffered solution. The sensing mechanism was confirmed by density functional theory (DFT), viscosity test, fluorescence spectrum analysis and HRMS, respectively. The probe has a low limit of detection (0.1 μM) and finally been used in cell imaging successfully.

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