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A selective glutathione probe based on AIE fluorogen and its application in enzymatic activity assay
Xiaoding Lou1, Yuning Hong2, Sijie Chen3
11] HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, No. 9 Yuexing 1st RD, South Area, Hi-tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518057, China [2] Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Study, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, and Institute of Molecular Functional Materials, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China [3].
Abstract:
In this work, we design and synthesize a malonitrile-functionalized TPE derivative (TPE-DCV), which can react with thiol group through thiol-ene click reaction, leading to the fluorescence change of the system. Combined with the unique AIE property, TPE-DCV can selectively detect glutathione (GSH) but not cysteine or homocysteine. As the cleavage of GSSG with the aid of glutathione reductase produces GSH, which turns on the fluorescence of TPE-DCV, the ensemble of TPE-DCV and GSSG can thus serve as a label-free sensor for enzymatic activity assay of glutathione reductase. We also apply TPE-DCV for the detection of intracellular GSH in living cells.
