Conformation regulation induced fluorescence emission of ferulic acid-modified BODIPY photosensitizer for the detection of biothiols

A novel BODIPY photosensitizer BSP-FA with multiple reaction sites was synthesized by modifying the BODIPY parent with ferulic acid. The fluorescence emission spectra and UV–vis absorption spectra demonstrate that BSP-FA exhibits typical BODIPY characteristics. The conformation of BSP-FA leads to a restricted electronic coupling between BODIPY and FA , which induces a bright fluorescence emission. BSP-FA was applied as a fluorescent probe for the in vitro quantification of a range of concentrations of Cys and GSH. The detailed luminescence mechanism of BSP-FA was investigated using time-resolved femtosecond transient absorption experiments and the existence of triplet state was demonstrated. BSP-FA is a promising candidate for photosensitizer due to its singlet oxygen generation and T 1 generation capacity. BSP-FA has promising applications as a detection probe and photosensitizer in several fields.