A chromenoquinoline-based fluorescent off-on thiol probe for bioimaging

Area of Science:

• Chemical Biology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Thiols play crucial roles in biological systems.
• Developing sensitive and selective probes for thiol detection is essential for biological research.
• Existing methods may lack sufficient sensitivity or cell permeability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a new fluorescent probe for thiol detection.
• To investigate the probe's response to cysteine in aqueous solutions.
• To demonstrate the probe's utility in live cell imaging.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a chromenoquinoline-based fluorescent probe.
• Spectroscopic analysis of probe response to cysteine using fluorescence spectroscopy.
• Evaluation of probe's cell permeability and imaging capabilities in live cells.

Main Results:

• The synthesized probe exhibited an "off-on" fluorescent response.
• A 223-fold fluorescence enhancement was observed upon Michael addition of cysteine.
• The probe demonstrated good cell permeability and enabled visualization of thiols in live cells.

Conclusions:

• The new chromenoquinoline-based probe is highly sensitive and selective for thiols.
• The probe's properties make it suitable for biological applications, including live cell imaging.
• This development offers a valuable tool for studying thiol-related biological processes.