A lysosome-targeted near-infrared fluorescent probe for cell imaging of Cu2+

Cu2+ in lysosomes are closely related to some diseases such as Menke's syndrome, Wilson's diseases and Alzheimer's diseases. Although many fluorescent probes have been constructed for the detection of Cu2+ in lysosomes, the poor water solubility and short wavelength emission (λem < 600 nm) limit the application of these probes. To solve this problem, a fluorescent probe DHUCu-1 with near-infrared emission was designed and synthesized in this work. DHUCu-1 could detect Cu2+ in PBS solution (1% alcohol as co-solvent) with high sensitivity and good selectivity. Moreover, DHUCu-1 could target lysosomes and respond to Cu2+ in lysosomes. This probe thus can be used as a tool for the exploration of physiological functions of Cu2+ and the related diseases.