A fluorescence enhancement probe based on BODIPY for the discrimination of cysteine from homocysteine and glutathione

Herein, a fluorescent probe BODIPY-based glyoxal hydrazone (BODIPY-GH) (1) for cysteine based on inhibiting of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) quenching process upon reaction with the unsaturated aldehyde has been synthesized, which exhibits longer excitation wavelength, selective and sensitive colorimetric and fluorimetric response toward cysteine in natural media. The probe shows highly selectivity towards cysteine over homocysteine and glutathione as well as other amino acids with a significant fluorescence enhancement response within 15 min In the presence of 50 equiv. of homocysteine, the emission increased slightly within 15 min and completed in 2.5 h to reach its maximum intensity. Therefore, the discrimination of cysteine from homocysteine and glutathione can be achieved through detection of probe 1. It shows low cytotoxicity and excellent membrane permeability toward living cells, which was successfully applied to detect and image intracellular cysteine effectively by confocal fluorescence imaging.