Design and application of a fluorescent probe based on ESIPT mechanism for the detection of Cys with o-hydroxyacetophenone structure

Abstract

In this paper, a novel fluorescent probe DHOA based on excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) principle was designed, prepared, and then applied to quantitative measurement and cell imaging of cysteine (Cys). The probe had high selectivity and large Stokes shift, and could quickly and sensitively detect the content of Cys with a detection limit of 55 nM. With its low cytotoxicity and good membrane permeability, the probe was successfully applied to fluorescence imaging of endogenous and exogenous Cys in HepG2 cells.