The synthesis and application of a colour-switch β-arylethenesulfonyl fluoride fluorescent probe in the detection of serum albumin

Proteins play a pivotal role in regulating important physiological processes and serve as important biomarkers for many diseases. Herein, we present a new strategy for bovine serum albumin (BSA) detection using a novel colour-switch fluorescent probe CPV-ESF ((E)-2-(4-((Z)-1-cyano-2-(4-(diethylamino)phenyl)vinyl)phenyl)ethene-1-sulfonyl fluoride). CPV-ESF reacts with nucleophilic amino acids of BSA via 1,4-Michael addition click chemistry to create a covalently linked CPV-ESF:BSA complex, which can be easily detected by a fluorescence colour-switch response. The sensing mechanism, sensitivity and selectivity of CPV-ESF for BSA detection as well as its application for cell imaging have been investigated.