Real-time and in-situ cell imaging of thiol compounds in living cells using maleimide BODIPY labeling

In this paper, a simple analytical method for the visualization of thiol compounds including glutathione (GSH), N-acetylcysteine (NAC), cysteine (Cys) and coenzyme A (CoA) in living cells is developed based on 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-phenyl-(2-maleimide)-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene (TMPAB-o-M) labeling. By using of this fluorogenic reagent, in-situ imaging of thiol compounds in cells could be achieved in only 90 s, which is much faster than that mentioned in other reports. The fluorescence of derivative products in living cells could be stable for atleast 15 min under irradiation, and can be quantified by HPLC easily in only 6 min.