Identification of a novel turn-on albumin binding small-molecule bioprobe in live zebrafish and its potential application in drug discovery

Abstract A novel small-molecule fluorescent probe (4f) for staining blood in live zebrafish was identified. Compound 4f turns on the fluorescent property in the presence of albumin in the blood and it mainly binds on the site II of human serum albumin. 4f efficiently visualized the blood vessels in live zebrafish, Hence, it could be used as an alternative blood vessel imaging tool. Compound 4f applied to test for anti-cancer drug screening in live zebrafish, and showed a potential as an effective in vivo drug screening agent.