A stable naked-eye colorimetric sensor for monitoring release of extracellular gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter from SH-SY5Y cells

A novel optical γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-based sensor was developed on interacting thiol compounds and o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) to form thiacetal compounds. Then, the thiacetal interacts with the GABA molecule to form an isoindole compound. The effects of four thiol compounds on the stability of the resulting isoindole compound were assessed. The 2-mercaptoethanol, "one of the most used derivatizing agents," is unexpectedly the least stable;...