Live cell imaging of lysosomal pH changes with pH responsive ratiometric lanthanide probes

Europium and terbium complexes of two structurally related ligands have been evaluated as optical probes to monitor changes in lysosomal pH; calibration using ionophores and fluorescent probes allows monitoring of the time dependence of lysosomal pH change, examining the green/red intensity ratio from internalised Tb–Eu complexes.