Easy-to-Use Colorimetric Cyanine Probe for the Detection of Cu in Wilson's Disease.

Copper(II) is one of the essential metal elements in human body, which can accumulate in many organs and finally excrete in urine. Excessive load of Cu can cause liver cirrhosis, kidney dysfunction, and many neurological symptoms in the case of Wilson's disease (WD). Therefore, the selective and efficient detection of Cu is of great importance. Although various fluorescent probes have been reported for the detection of Cu, an efficient and capable probe is still rare for patients' self-use on a routine basis. In this study, we developed an easy-to-use probe CY1 based on UV-vis-near-infrared absorption changes with excellent sensitivity and selectivity for Cu. The mechanism of oxidation of CY1 by Cu was first explored. We demonstrated the role of the probe in the quantitative detection of Cu in urine from WD patients and showed that it has great potential for clinical applications.