| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 866624 | Biosensors and Bioelectronics | 2014 | 7 Pages |
•We report an easily preparative fluorescent probe with only one-step synthetic procedure for the detection of cysteine/homocysteine.•This probe possesses high selectivity toward cysteine/homocysteine.•This probe shows a rapid fluorescent response toward cysteine and high sensitivity toward cysteine and homocysteine with a detection limit of 2.99 and 1.43 nM, respectively.•The intracellular imaging of biothiols has been demonstrated in live Raw 264.7 cells.
A push–pull fluorogenic reagent, NBD-SCN, was applied for specific detection of cysteine (Cys) and homocysteine (Hcy). Replacing thiocyanato group with Cys/Hcy increased the push–pull characteristic of the probe and resulted in emission of fluorescence. The fluorescent response of the probe toward Cys/Hcy was significantly higher than toward glutathione and other amino acids. The probe showed a 470- and 745-fold fluorescence enhancement at 550 nm and detection limit of 2.99 and 1.43 nM for Cys and Hcy, respectively. Time-dependent fluorescence assays showed that the fluorescence intensity reached a plateau within 20 s after addition of Cys and within 10 min after addition of Hcy. Furthermore, the fluorescence images of Cys/Hcy in Raw 264.7 cells were obtained after adding this probe to the cells. These results indicate that NBD-SCN not only possesses good selectivity and sensitivity for Cys/Hcy but also can penetrate cells for Cys/Hcy bioimaging.
