A novel hydrophilic fluorescent probe for Cu2+ detection and imaging in HeLa cells

• Published in: RSC advances Vol. 11; no. 17; pp. 10264 - 10271
• Main Authors: Wang, Xinyu, Li, Zhuo, Nie, Jiaojiao, Wu, Liangqiang, Chen, Weihong, Qi, Shaolong, Xu, Hai, Du, Jianshi, Shan, Yaming, Yang, Qingbiao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 18-03-2021; The Royal Society of Chemistry
• Subjects: Biocompatibility; Chemistry; Copper; Density functional theory; Fluorescent indicators; Selectivity; Toxicity
• ISSN: 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/d0ra09894a

Copper is an essential element in living systems and plays an important role in human physiology; therefore, methods to detect the concentration of copper ions in living organisms are important. Herein, we report a highly water-soluble naphthalimide-based fluorescent probe that can be used for the detection of Cu2+. The probe, BNQ, has high selectivity and sensitivity. The fluorescence intensity of the probe at 520 nm was visible to the naked eye under a UV lamp; upon the gradual addition of Cu2+, there was a colour change from green to nearly colourless. Furthermore, the detection limit of BNQ for Cu2+ was 45.5 nM. The detection mechanism was investigated using a Job's plot and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In addition, owing to great biocompatibility, we were able to successfully use BNQ to detect Cu2+ in living HeLa cells with low toxicity.