A selective fluorescent probe for thiols based on α,β-unsaturated acyl sulfonamide

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Chemical Biology

Background:

• Thiols play crucial roles in biological systems.
• Sensing and quantifying thiols, particularly cysteine, is vital for understanding cellular processes.
• Developing selective and sensitive probes for thiol detection remains an active area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel fluorescent probe for thiol detection.
• To evaluate the probe's selectivity for cysteine over other amino acids.
• To demonstrate the probe's utility in detecting intracellular thiols.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a novel fluorescent probe based on α,β-unsaturated acyl sulfonamide.
• Assessment of the probe's water solubility and reactivity under aqueous conditions.
• Evaluation of the probe's selectivity against natural amino acids.
• Application of the probe for detecting thiols in intracellular environments.

Main Results:

• The developed probe exhibits good water solubility.
• The probe reacts effectively with thiols in aqueous solutions.
• The probe demonstrates high selectivity for cysteine, with no significant reaction observed with other natural amino acids.
• The probe was successfully utilized to detect intracellular thiols.

Conclusions:

• A novel, water-soluble fluorescent probe for thiol detection has been developed.
• The probe exhibits excellent selectivity for cysteine.
• The probe is suitable for detecting thiols in complex biological samples, including intracellular environments.