A novel near-infrared fluorescent probe was synthesized and its application in imaging of living cells.

A novel near-infrared fluorescent probe, IR-736, was synthesized and applied to living cells. The probe exhibited good response fluorescent characteristic, and cells experiments showed the probe had high affinity and without apparent cytotoxicity. Fluorescent image experiments in living L929 cells, MCF-7 cells, HepG2 cells, further demonstrated its potential applications in biological systems. The probe effectively prevented the influence of autofluorescence and native cellular species in biological systems. It also exhibited good photostability, and excellent cell membrane permeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]