The determination of thiols based using a probe that utilizes both an absorption red-shift and fluorescence enhancement

A pyridylvinylene derivative containing piazselenole displayed high selectivity toward glutathione in the presence of other biorelevant analytes. The compound exhibited a 19 nm red-shift in absorption spectra and ∼3-fold fluorescence intensity enhancement; in addition, it was possible to detect micromolar amounts of glutathione quantitatively using both red-shift absorbance and enhanced fluorescence. The mechanism of the reaction between the modified pyridylvinylene derivative and glutathione was confirmed using ESI-MS and absorption/fluorescence spectra.