The interactions of meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP), meso-tetraphenylporphyrin cobalt(II) (CoTPP) and protein in the presence of a cyclodextrin derivative, heptakis(2,6-di-O-n-octyl)-beta-cyclodextrin (Oc-beta-CD), have been investigated. In the presence of Oc-beta-CD, significant increase of TPP fluorescence was realized, but the increased fluorescence was quenched by CoTPP. To further investigate the fluorescence-quenched system and explore its potential application in bioanalysis, a strategy has been devised to restore the quenching fluorescence of TPP upon interacting with protein. The res...