A fluorescent dansyl-based peptide probe for highly selective and sensitive detect Cd2+ ions and its application in living cell imaging.

Abstract We reported a novel and readily synthesized fluorescent "turn-on" probe L (Dansyl-Glu-Pro-Gly-Cys) based on dansyl group combine tetrapeptide. The probe L exhibited highly sensitive fluorescent recognition to Cd2+ ions in HEPES buffer solutions (10.0 mM, pH 7.4). The 2:1 binding stoichiometry of L with Cd2+ were determined based on fluorescence titration and the Job's plot investigation. The competitive experiments were found to be highly selective for the Cd2+ ions even in the existence of excess competing metal ions including Zn2+, Pb2+, Hg2+ and Cu2+ ions. The binding constant of the complex L -Cd was calculated to be 5.18 × 1010 M−2, and showed great affinity compared to other probes. In addition, the detection limit of the probe L for Cd2+ ions was calculated to be 45 nM, which presented a pronounced sensitivity toward Cd2+ ions. Most importantly, the probe L had wide range of pH and good biocompatibility, and were successfully applied to selectively detected Cd2+ ions within pH range of 7–12 and bioimaging studies in live cells. Graphical Abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • A novel fluorescent peptide-based probe (L) was synthesized. • L exhibited exclusively selective fluorescent "turn-on" response toward Cd2+ ions. • L displayed high sensitivity for Cd(II) with a low detection limit of 45 nM. • L could serve as a potential probe to detect Cd2+ ions in living cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]