A chromone hydrazide Schiff base fluorescence probe with high selectivity and sensitivity for the detection and discrimination of human serum albumin (HSA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA)

The discrimination and identification of human serum albumin (HSA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) is very important, which is due to the vital roles of two SAs in biological and pharmaceutical research. Based on structural screening and docking calculation from a series of homologues, a coumarin Schiff base fluorescent probe 3-hydroxy-N′-((4-oxo-4H-chromen-3-yl)methylene)-2-naphthohydrazide (HCNH) has been designed and synthesized, which could effectively discriminate HSA and BSA. The probe HCNH exhibited superior sensitivity toward HSA and BSA with the detection limits of 10.62 nM and 16.03 nM in PBS solution, respectively. The binding mechanism of HCNH with SAs was studied by Job’s plot analysis, SA destruction and displacement assay. Molecular docking and DFT methods were utilized to provide deep insight into the spatial conformation change of HCNH and binding sites in HSA/BSA. The conformation of HCNH was significantly influenced by the microenvironment provided by HSA and BSA, therefore its fluorescence emission was affected correspondingly. Non-toxic probe HCNH could be successfully used for fluorescence bio-imaging of HSA in cancer cells, which is significantly different from normal cells and favors the application in medical diagnosis.