HSA over BSA: Selective detection of Human Serum Albumin via a naphtho [2,1‐b] furan‐based system

Human serum albumin (HSA) is an important biomarker that can be used for the early diagnosis of many diseases. In this work, a TICT probe bearing fused naphtho‐furan scaffold (NPNF) was developed and employed in the selective turn‐on sensing of HSA. The probe’s selectivity towards HSA was observed using steady‐state fluorescence experiments, with limit of quantitation in micromolar levels. NPNF also displayed its capability exclusively towards HSA over bovine serum albumin (BSA), which was studied/rationalized using anisotropy and time‐resolved studies. Molecular docking was used to shed light on the location of NPNF in the domain I of HSA. The practical application of the probe was also demonstrated by the detection of HSA in urine and the HSA‐assisted detection of cerium.