Rational design of a bifunctional fluorescent probe for distinguishing Hcy/Cys from GSH with ideal properties

By pairing two fluoropho res according to their optical prope rties such as absorption spectral overlap and absorptivity,fluorescent quantum yield and emission spectral separation,a bifunctional fluorescent probe,TQBF-NBD,was rationally designed and synthesized to discriminatively sense Hcy/Cys and GSH with good selectivity and sensitivity.It is noted that this probe could work under a single-wave length excitation and displayed a mega-large Stokes shift.TQBF-NBD reacted with Hcy/Cys to give a mixed green-red fluorescence and displayed a red fluorescence upon the treatment with GSH.Distinguishable imaging of intracellular Hcy/Cys from GSH with the help of TQBF-NBD was realized in living cells and zebrafish.