Membrane Probe 1-Anilino 8-Naphthalene Sulphonate promotes Acetylcholine and Catecholamine Release

1-ANILINO-8-NAPHTHALENE sulphonate (ANS) has been widely used to probe protein¹ and membrane² structures. It is weakly fluorescent when dissolved in water, but in hydrophobic surroundings ANS becomes intensely fluorescent. When biological membranes are exposed to ANS the probe is taken up into the hydrophobic core of the membrane; the location and the microenvironment of the probe can be studied by fluorescent spectroscopy and by X-ray diffraction³.