Highly selective and sensitive peptide-based fluorescent chemosensor for detection of Zinc(II) ions in aqueous medium and living cells

[Display omitted] •A new fluorescent chemosensor (L) was synthesized for detection of Zn2+ ions.•L displayed highly sensitive, with Zn2+ ions detection limits of 36.8 nM.•The reversibility and circularly process of L were confirmed by Na2EDTA.•L could detect Zn2+ and Na2EDTA in living cells. A novel peptide-based chemosensor (L, Dansyl-Asp-His-NH2) has been successfully designed and synthesized. L displayed excellent selectivity in fluorescence detection of Zn2+ over other essential metal ions, with a binding constant value of 4.09 × 1010 M−2. Further, a Job’s plot confirmed the 2:1 stoichiometry of the complex formation between the L and Zn2+ ions. L exhibited a highly-sensitive strong fluorescence “turn-on” effect for Zn2+ in aqueous solution, with a detection limit for Zn2+ calculated at 36.8 nM. Notably, L served as a recyclable chemosensor, which was cyclically controlled by Zn2+ and Na2EDTA. Moreover, L exhibited low toxicity in HK2 normal cells, and was then applied to monitor intracellular Zn2+ and Na2EDTA in human prostate cancer cells (LNCaP cells).