Comparison of N-acetylcysteine and cysteine in their ability to replenish intracellular cysteine by a specific fluorescent probe†
Abstract
A specific fluorescent probe, designed by a substitution-rearrangement mechanism, can discriminate cysteine from other thiols. Using this probe, N-acetylcysteine is revealed to be superior to cysteine to replenish intracellular cysteine in cells.