A highly sensitive fluorogenic probe for captopril, 4-methylumbelliferyl-2, 4-dinitrobenzenesulfonate (4-MUDNBS), was designed and synthesized. 4-MUDNBS is a nonfluorescent compound and was synthesized via the one-step reaction of 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU) with 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride. Upon mixing with captopril in basic solution, the 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonyl group of 4-MUDNBS was efficiently removed and highly fluorescent 4-MU was released, hence leading to the dramatic fluorescence increase of the reaction solution. The fluorescence intensity is linear with captopril concentration in the range 3.0-500 ng mL(-1) with a detection limit of 2.2 ng mL(-1) (3sigma). The effect of substituents on the benzenesulfonyl moiety of the probe is discussed, and the presence of electronegative groups is favorable for the thiolate-induced cleavage reaction. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the captopril determination in pharmaceutical preparations.