An NBD-armed tetraaza macrocyclic lysosomal-targeted fluorescent probe for imaging copper(ii) ions

An NBD-armed tetraaza macrocyclic lysosomal-targeted fluorescent probe for detecting Cu2+ was synthesized and used for fluorescence imaging in HeLa cells. The probe was specifically localized in lysosomes and successfully applied to visualize Cu2+ as well as to monitor Cu2+ level changes in the lysosomes of living cells.