Activity-based Fluorescent Imaging of Alcohol Dehydrogenase Activity in Living Cells

Development of a fluorescent probe for activity-based sensing of activity of alcohol dehydrogenase, a key enzyme in ethanol biooxidation, is reported. A caged coumarin reporter is released upon the selective oxidation by the enzyme with a strong, >60-fold emission enhancement. The probe has a low cytotoxicity and has been applied in visualising alcohol dehydrogenase activity in HepG2, A549 and HEK293Tcells, demonstrating its potential as a convenient, easy-to-use bioanalytical tools in unveiling the roles of the enzyme in alcohol metabolism.