Real-time fluorometric turn-on assay for protease activity and inhibitor screening with a benzoperylene probe

A real-time fluorescence turn-on strategy for protease activity and inhibitor screening has been developed. A negatively charged benzo[ghi]perylene derivative (probe 1) was employed. Protamine is a cationic protein which can induce aggregation of probe 1 via strong electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. The fluorescence of probe 1 was efficiently quenched. In the presence of a protease, protamine was enzymatically hydrolyzed and probe 1 de-aggregated. The recovery of the probe 1 monomer fluorescence could be detected. The protease activity could be monitored in real-time. In addition, upon addition of a protease inhibitor, the protease-catalyzed hydrolysis was inhibited, which led to a decreased fluorescence recovery. The fluorometric assay thus could also be employed for screening protease inhibitors.