A Coumarin-Based Fluorescent Probe for Selective Detection of Cu(II) and Imaging in Human Cell

A novel coumarin-derived Schiff base fluorescent probe was reported to detect Cu²⁺ ions in human cells. It was synthesized by the reaction between 7-(diethylamino)coumarin-3-carbohydrazide and pyridoxal 5′-phosphate. The probe has good stability and it exhibited obviously decreasing fluorescent response at λ 490 nm upon addition of Cu(II) ions. The fluorescent probe showed high selectivity for Cu(II) ions compared to other metal ions. The probe has been successfully applied to detect Cu(II) ions in human cells.