Fluorescent probe for highly selective detection of cysteine in living cells

Cys play an important physiological role in the human body. Abnormal Cys concentration can cause many diseases. Therefore, it is of great significance to detect Cys with high selectivity and sensitivity in vivo. Because homocysteine (Hcy) and glutathione (GSH) have similar reactivity and structure to cysteine, few fluorescent probes have been reported to be specific and efficient for cysteine. In this study, we designed and synthesized an organic small molecule fluorescent probe ZHJ-X based on cyanobiphenyl, which can be used to specifically recognize cysteine. The probe ZHJ-X exhibits specific selectivity for cysteine, high sensitivity, short reaction response time, good anti-interference ability, and has a low detection limit of 3.8 x 10-6 M. The probe ZHJ-X was successfully applied to the visualization of Cys in living cells and had great application prospects in cell imaging and detection.

Automated summary

Cysteine plays an important role in the human body, and abnormal concentration can lead to various diseases. Detecting cysteine in vivo with high selectivity and sensitivity is therefore significant. In this study, a small organic fluorescent probe ZHJ-X was designed and synthesized based on cyanobiphenyl, which specifically recognized cysteine. The probe ZHJ-X demonstrated specific selectivity, high sensitivity, short response time, good anti-interference ability, and a low detection limit of 3.8 x 10-6 M. It was successfully applied for visualizing cysteine in living cells and holds potential for cell imaging and detection.