An ESIPT-based fluorescent probe for sensitive and selective detection of Cys/Hcy over GSH with a red emission and a large Stokes shift

An ESIPT-based fluorescent probe (Probe 1) using acrylate as recognition group for the selective and sensitive detection of cysteine/homocysteine (Cys/Hcy) has been developed. In the presence of Cys/Hcy, this probe was transformed into 1,3-bis(bispyridin-2ylimino)isoindolin-4-ol (dye 4) which displayed red fluorescence with a large Stokes shift (217 nm) when excited. The detection limits are as low as 5.4 nM and 7.0 nM for Cys and Hcy respectively (based on S/N = 3). Importantly, this probe has been successfully demonstrated for the detection of intracellular Cys/Hcy in living cells.     

Design of fluorescent probes with optimized responsiveness and selectivity to GSH

We designed and synthesized a series of BODIPY based probes with fast and distinct ratiometric responsiveness for discriminative detection of GSH from Cys and Hcy. The discriminative detection is based on the different products obtained by the S_NAr between probes and thiol-containing amino acids. The amino group of the obtained thioether from the reaction with Cys or Hcy but not GSH would trigger an intramolecular nucleophilic substitution through five- or six-membered cyclic transition state, finally yielding an amino substituted derivative. To achieve highly discriminative detection and fast response, a series of structure modifications and improvements have been made by elongating the π-conjugation and introducing electron withdrawing groups, finally affording probe BOD-DBNPF with optimized responsiveness and selectivity. Importantly, BOD-DBNPF was successfully used for the selective detection of GSH from Cys with distinct fluorescent ratiometric responses in living HeLa cells.     

Development of an Organic Dye-Conjugated β-Diketonate-Europium Complex Luminescence Probe for Discrimination and Detection of Intracellular Biothiols

Small molecular biothiols, cysteine (Cys), homocysteine (Hcy) and glutathione (GSH), play important roles in organisms, and their concentration levels are indicative of some human diseases. Herein we report an organic dye-conjugated β-diketonate-Eu³⁺ complex, [Eu(NBD-keto)₃(DPBT)] (NBD-keto: 7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD)-conjugated to 1,1,1,2,2-pentafluoro-5-phenyl-3,5-pentanedionate through a “O” ether bond; DPBT: 2-(N,N-diethylanilin-4-yl)-4,6-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)-1,3,5-triazine), which acts as a unique luminescent probe for detecting and discriminating biothiols. [Eu(NBD-keto)₃(DPBT)] itself is not luminescent due to intramolecular interactions between NBD and β-diketonate-Eu³⁺ moieties. Upon reaction with biothiols, the β-diketonate-Eu³⁺ complex [Eu(keto)₃(DPBT)] is generated, which emits long-lived red emission at 610 nm. Meanwhile, three biothiol-substituted NBD derivatives that exhibit different luminescence behaviors, green emissive (short-lived) NBD-NR (R=Cys or Hcy) at 540 nm and non-luminescent NBD-SR (R=GSH), are also generated. These luminescence response behaviors allow time-gated and steady-state luminescence modes to be combined for detecting total biothiols and discriminating GSH and Cys/Hcy. Using this probe, the quantitative detection and discrimination of GSH and Cys/Hcy in lysis solutions of HeLa cells were realized, which revealed the potential of the probe for biomedical applications.     

Distinguishable multi-substance detection based on three-channel NIR fluorescent probe in physiology and pathology of living cells and zebrafish

Mitochondria is the main organelle for the production of reactive sulfur species (RSS), such as homocysteine (Hcy), cysteine (Cys), glutathione (GSH) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂). These compounds participate in a large number of physiological processes and play an extremely important role in maintaining the balance of life systems. Abnormal concentration and metabolism are closely related to many diseases. Due to their similarities in chemical properties, it is challenging to develop a single fluorescent probe to distinguish them simultaneously. Here, we synthesized the probe PI-CONBD with three fluorophores, NBD-Cl and benzopyranate as the reaction sites of GSH/Cys/Hcy and SO₂, respectively. Three biothiols all could cleavage ether bond to release benzopyrylium and coumarin moiety, which emitted red and blue fluorescence, but Cys/Hcy also could do intramolecular rearrangement after nucleophilic substitution, resulting in yellow fluorescence. Thus the probe can distinguish Cys/Hcy and GSH. Subsequently, only SO₂ could quench red fluorescence by adding CC of benzopyrylium. The probe also could localize well in mitochondria by oxonium ion for all kinds of cells. The probe not only could detect above sulfur-containing active substances of intracellular and extracellular but also monitor the level of them under oxidative stress and apoptosis process in living cells and zebrafish.     

Tunable fluorescent sensing of cysteine and homocysteine by intramolecular charge transfer

An amphiphilic oligo p-phenylene derivative (DCHO) bearing electron-donating group (–NH(CH₂)₂OH) and electron-withdrawing group (–CHO) has been synthesised and characterised. The sensing characteristics of this probe (DCHO) for cysteine (Cys) and homocysteine (Hcy) are studied in a mixture solution of DMSO–HEPES by UV–vis and fluorescence spectra. ¹H NMR, MALDI-TOF and UV–vis titration experiments proved that thiazolidine and thiazinane derivatives were formed. The highly Cys/Hcy-selective fluorescence hypsochromic shift (>110 nm) can be observed due to the switching of intramolecular charge transfer, leading to potential fabrication of ratiometric fluorescent detection of Cys/Hcy.     

Simultaneous determination of homocysteine,methionine and cysteine in maternal plasma after delivery by HPLC‐fluorescence detection with DBD‐F as a label

An HPLC‐fluorescence (FL) method for determination of sulfur‐containing amino acids such as homocysteine (Hcy), methionine (Met) and cysteine (Cys) in human plasma was developed. The sulfur‐containing amino acids were labeled with 4‐(N,N‐dimethylaminosulfonyl)‐7‐fluoro‐2,1,3‐benzoxadiazole (DBD‐F). Calibration curves in the range of 1–100 µm (Hcy and Met) and 5–500 µm (Cys) indicated good linearities (r ≥ 0.998). The limits of detection at a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3 were 0.13 (Hcy), 0.02 (Met) and 0.11 µm (Cys), respectively. Acceptable results for accuracy and precision of intra‐ and inter‐day measurements were obtained. The results of Hcy and Cys obtained by the proposed method indicated good correlations with the conventional method (r > 0.911, n = 20). Furthermore, the method was applied to determination of the sulfur‐containing amino acids in maternal plasma (n = 200) after delivery. The concentrations of Hcy, Met and Cys as a median (inter quartile range, Q₁ and Q₃) were 5.37 (3.32–7.79) μm , 25.20 (20.10–31.06) μm and 147.25 (102.81–189.31) μm , respectively. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A CuII-Salicylidene Glycinato Complex for the Selective Fluorometric Detection of Homocysteine over 20 Proteinogenic Amino Acids

Homocysteine (Hcy) is a sulfur-containing α-amino acid that differs by one methylene (CH₂) subunit from homologous cysteine (Cys). Elevated levels of Hcy are diagnostic markers of cardiovascular disease and other medical conditions. We present a new Cu^II-salicylidene glycinato complex 1 for the selective fluorometric detection of Hcy in water. In the presence of this analyte, the non-fluorescent copper-complex demetallates and disassembles into its building blocks. This process liberates a 3-chloro-5-sulfosalicylaldehyde signaling unit and is accompanied by a 51-fold turn-on fluorescence at 485 nm (λ_ex=350 nm). Out of twenty proteinogenic amino acids, only histidine (12-fold turn-on fluorescence) and Cys (8-fold turn-on fluorescence) trigger some disassembly of probe 1 . In comparison with important pioneering work on the detection of biothiols, this study strikingly demonstrates that structural modifications of chelate core structures steer substrate selectivity of metal-based probes. Importantly, probe 1 has proven suitable for the detection of Hcy in artificial urine.     

Rational Design of an Ultrasensitive and Highly Selective Chemodosimeter by a Dual Quenching Mechanism for Cysteine Based on a Facile Michael‐Transcyclization Cascade Reaction

Differentiation of biologically important thiols, such as cysteine (Cys), homocysteine (Hcy), and glutathione (GSH) is still a challenging task. Herein, we present a novel fluorescent chemodosimeter capable of selectively detecting Cys over other biothiols including Hcy and GSH and other amino acids by a facile thiol‐Michael addition/transcyclization rearrangement cascade click process. The unique transcyclization step is critical for the selectivity as a result of the kinetically favorable formation of a six‐membered ring with the Cys Michael adduct. Moreover, the probe adopts a distinctive dual quenching mechanism—photoinduced electron transfer (PET) and photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) to deliver a drastic turn‐on fluorescence response only at the Cys‐selective transcylization step. The judicious selection of strong electron‐withdrawing naphthalimide fluorophore with maleimide group enhances the electrophilicity and thus reactivity for the cascade process leading to fast detection and ultrasensitivity with a detection limit of 2.0 nm (S/N=3). The probe has demonstrated its practical utility potential in Cys imaging in live cells.     

A highly selective colorimetric probe based on 2,2′,2″-trisindolylmethene for cysteine/homocysteine

The interaction and colorimetric sensing properties of receptor 1, tris(3-methylindole-2-yl)methene as the perchlorate salt, with amino acids in aqueous MeCN at neutral pH were investigated using UV-vis spectroscopic techniques. Specifically, receptor 1 behaves as a colorimetric probe for selective and sensitive detection of cysteine (Cys)/homocysteine (Hcy) based on the nucleophilic addition reaction between the sulphydryl group of Cys/Hcy and the meso carbon-carbon double bond of receptor 1, leading to clear color change from violet to colorless. A more quantitative determination for Cys/Hcy was preliminary performed by flow injection analysis (FIA) coupled with spectrophotometry. The selective binding ability of receptor 1 toward Cys/Hcy has also been evaluated by electrochemical techniques.     

α-Acrylaldehyde 3-Pyrrolyl BODIPY as a Specific Optical Sensor for Cysteine and Homocysteine

A new fluorophore, α-acrylaldehyde 3-pyrrolyl BODIPY was synthesized by treating 3-pyrrolyl BODIPY with a mixture of 3-(dimethylamino) acrolein and POCl₃ under Vilsmeier–Haack reaction conditions. The X-ray structure revealed that the fluorophore was almost planar, and the appended pyrrole was in the same plane with a small deviation from the mean plane. We investigated the potential use of α-acrylaldehyde 3-pyrrolyl BODIPY for sensing thiol containing amino acids such as cysteine/homocysteine (Cys/Hcy). Our studies showed that the α-acrylaldehyde- 3-pyrrolyl BODIPY was found to be useful for exclusive sensing of Cys/Hcy and to exhibit different optical signaling responses to Cys and Hcy at physiological pH in aq. CH₃CN (1 : 1 v/v, PBS) medium. The enhancement in optical properties for Cys and quenching in same properties for Hcy was attributed to different binding modes of Cys/Hcy with α-acrylaldehyde 3-pyrrolyl BODIPY.     

Smart Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) Containing Iridium(III) Complexes as Water‐Soluble Phosphorescent Probe for Sensing and Bioimaging of Homocysteine and Cysteine

Homocysteine (Hcy) and cysteine (Cys) are two important kinds of amino acids in human bodies. Herein, we synthesized an iridium(III) complex‐functionalized poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) and its hydrogel, which could be used as the excellent phosphorescent bioprobe for sensing Hcy and Cys. Their detection can be realized in aqueous system through the variations in absorption and photoluminescence spectra. Furthermore, living cell imaging experiments demonstrate that the phosphorescent bioprobe is membrane permeable and can monitor the changes of Hcy and Cys within living cells. In addition, the probe is also thermoresponsive, and its photoluminescence intensified with increasing temperature. These results suggests that this bioprobe has promising application in biomedical fields.     

Cobalamin‐Dependent and Cobalamin‐Independent Methionine Synthases: Are There Two Solutions to the Same Chemical Problem?

Two enzymes in Escherichia coli, cobalamin‐independent methionine synthase (MetE) and cobalamin‐dependent methionine synthase (MetH), catalyze the conversion of homocysteine (Hcy) to methionine using N(5)‐methyltetrahydrofolate (CH₃‐H₄folate) as the Me donor. Despite the absence of sequence homology, these enzymes employ very similar catalytic strategies. In each case, the pK_a for the SH group of Hcy is lowered by coordination to Zn²⁺, which increases the concentration of the reactive thiolate at neutral pH. In each case, activation of CH₃‐H₄folate appears to involve protonation at N(5). CH₃‐H₄folate remains unprotonated in binary E?CH₃‐H₄folate complexes, and protonation occurs only in the ternary E?CH₃‐H₄folate?Hcy complex in MetE, or in the ternary E?CH₃‐H₄folate?cob(I)alamin complex in MetH. Surprisingly, the similarities are proposed to extend to the structures of these two unrelated enzymes. The structure of a homologue of the Hcy‐binding region of MetH, betaine? homocysteine methyltransferase, has been determined. A search of the three‐dimensional‐structure data base by means of the structure‐comparison program DALI indicates similarity of the BHMT structure with that of uroporphyrin decarboxylase (UroD), a homologue of the MT2‐A and MT2‐M proteins from Archaea, which catalyze Me transfers from methylcorrinoids to coenzyme M and share the Zn‐binding scaffold of MetE. Here, we present a model for the Zn binding site of MetE, obtained by grafting the Zn ligands of MT2‐A onto the structure of UroD.     

A dual-modal probe for NIR fluorogenic and ratiometric photoacoustic imaging of Cys/Hcy in vivo

Biothiols, such as cysteine(Cys) and homocysteine(Hcy), play vital roles in biological homeostasis and are closely related to various pathological and physiological processes in the living systems. Therefore, the in vivo detection of biothiols is of great importance for early diagnosis of diseases and assessment of disease progression. In this work, we developed a near-infrared(NIR) fluorescence and photoacoustic dual-modal molecular probe(NIR-S) that can be specifically activated by Cys or Hcy. The aryl-thioether substituted cyanine probe can undergo nucleophilic substitution and Smiles rearrangement reaction, resulting in specific turn-on NIR fluorescence and ratiometric photoacoustic responses for Hcy/Cys. Thus, NIR-S not only realizes the specific NIR fluorescence and photoacoustic dual mode imaging to detect Hcy/Cys in solution, but also can be applied to living cells and mice to detect Hcy/Cys. This work provided a practical tool to detect Hcy/Cys levels in vivo, which would be beneficial for the early diagnosis and progress of diseases.     

A highly selective HBT-based “turn-on” fluorescent probe for hydrazine detection and its application

As one of the important industrial chemicals, hydrazine (N₂H₄) can be inhaled through the skin, leading to many serious health issues. In this paper, we constructed a novel turn-on fluorescent probe HBTM for N₂H₄ detection based on ESIPT and ICT mechanism by incorporating the methyl dicyanvinyl group to 2-(2′-hydroxylphenyl) benzothiazole (HBT) fluorophore. The probe showed the following advantages: high sensitivity with detection limit of 2.9 × 10^?7 M, high selectivity over other related interfering species, wide linear range of 0–140 μM and pH value adaptation. Moreover, the probe could detect N₂H₄ on paper strips and image N₂H₄ in living cells.     

Rational Design of an “OFF–ON” Phosphorescent Chemodosimeter Based on an Iridium(III) Complex and Its Application for Time‐Resolved Luminescent Detection and Bioimaging of Cysteine and Homocysteine

Biothiols, such as cysteine (Cys) and homocysteine (Hcy), play very crucial roles in biological systems. Abnormal levels of these biothiols are often associated with many types of diseases. Therefore, the detection of Cys (or Hcy) is of great importance. In this work, we have synthesized an excellent “OFF‐ON” phosphorescent chemodosimeter 1 for sensing Cys and Hcy with high selectivity and naked‐eye detection based on an Ir^III complex containing a 2,4‐dinitrobenzenesulfonyl (DNBS) group within its ligand. The “OFF‐ON” phosphorescent response can be assigned to the electron‐transfer process from Ir^III center and C^N ligands to the DNBS group as the strong electron‐acceptor, which can quench the phosphorescence of probe 1 completely. The DNBS group can be cleaved by thiols of Cys or Hcy, and both the ³M LCT and ³LC states are responsible for the excited‐state properties of the reaction product of probe 1 and Cys (or Hcy). Thus, the phosphorescence is switched on. Based on these results, a general principle for designing “OFF‐ON” phosphorescent chemodosimeters based on heavy‐metal complexes has been provided. Importantly, utilizing the long emission‐lifetime of phosphorescence signal, the time‐resolved luminescent assay of 1 in sensing Cys was realized successfully, which can eliminate the interference from the short‐lived background fluorescence and improve the signal‐to‐noise ratio. As far as we know, this is the first report about the time‐resolved luminescent detection of biothiols. Finally, probe 1 has been used successfully for bioimaging the changes of Cys/Hcy concentration in living cells.     

New Chemodosimetric Reagents as Ratiometric Probes for Cysteine and Homocysteine and Possible Detection in Living Cells and in Blood Plasma

In this work, we have rationally designed and synthesized two new reagents ( L₁ and L₂ ), each bearing a pendant aldehyde functionality. This aldehyde group can take part in cyclization reactions with β‐ or γ‐amino thiols to yield the corresponding thiazolidine and thiazinane derivatives, respectively. The intramolecular charge‐transfer (ICT) bands of these thiazolidine and thiazinane derivatives are distinctly different from those of the molecular probes ( L₁ and L₂ ). Such changes could serve as a potential platform for using L₁ and L₂ as new colorimetric/fluorogenic as well as ratiometric sensors for cysteine (Cys) and homocysteine (Hcy) under physiological conditions. Both reagents proved to be specific towards Cys and Hcy even in the presence of various amino acids, glucose, and DNA. Importantly, these two chemodosimetric reagents could be used for the quantitative detection of Cys present in blood plasma by using a pre‐column HPLC technique. Such examples are not common in contemporary literature. MTT assay studies have revealed that these probes have low cytotoxicity. Confocal laser scanning micrographs of cells demonstrated that these probes could penetrate cell membranes and could be used to detect intracellular Cys/Hcy present within living cells. Thus, the results presented in this article not only demonstrate the efficiency and specificity of two ratiometric chemodosimeter molecules for the quantitative detection of Cys and Hcy, but also provide a strategy for developing reagents for analysis of these vital amino acids in biological samples.     

3-Iodoacetylaminobenzanthrone as a fluorescent derivatizing reagent for thiols in high-performance liquid chromatography

A new thiol-reactive derivatizing reagent, 3-iodoacetylaminobenzanthrone (IAB) has been developed for thiol analysis in liquid chromatography. In aqueous methanol containing 15 mM pH 8.3 H₃BO₃-KCl-Na₂CO₃ buffer, IAB reacted with thiols at 35 °C for 15 min. The derivatives of IAB with glutathione (GSH), cysteine (Cys), homocysteine (Hcy) and N-acetylcysteine (Nac) were well separated on a C₁₈ column with the mobile phase of methanol-water (50:50, v/v) containing 15 mM pH 2.7 H₃cit-Na₂HPO₄ buffer. At λ_ex/λ_em=420/540 nm, the detection limits were 20, 20, 55 and 40 fmol (1, 1, 2.3 and 2 nM), respectively, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. Owing to the preferential selectivity of iodoacetamidyl moiety to SH group, amino acids, aliphatic amines, phenol and alcohols had no obvious interference with the determination. The proposed method has been applied to the determination of thiols in human blood with recoveries of 98.5-105.3%.     

An ultrasensitive fluorescent probe for hydrazine detection and its application in water samples and living cells

Hydrazine, as a strong reducing agent, has been extensively used in many industrial manufactures. However, it is a potential human carcinogen and an environmental contaminant due to its high toxicity. Therefore, developing an ultrasensitive method for determining hydrazine in real water and biosystems is of great significance. Herein, based on coumarin dye, a turn-on fluorescent probe Cou-1-N₂H₄, which contains an acetyl group as the trigger unit and the fluorescence quencher, is developed. The probe can achieve a rapid (3min) and colorimetric sensing detection for hydrazine with an extremely low limit detection (11.9?nM or 0.38?ppb). More importantly, the practical utilities of probe have been successfully proved through quantitative N₂H₄ detection in environmental water samples and bioimaging of N₂H₄ in living cells.     

Iridium(III) Complex-Based Activatable Probe for Phosphorescent/Time-Gated Luminescent Sensing and Imaging of Cysteine in Mitochondria of Live Cells and Animals

This study reports an activatable iridium(III) complex probe for phosphorescence/time-gated luminescence detection of cysteine (Cys) in vitro and in vivo. The probe, [Ir(ppy)₂(NTY-bpy)](PF₆) [ppy: 2-phenylpyridine; NTY-bpy: 4-methyl-4′-(2-nitrovinyl)-2,2′-bipyridine], is developed by incorporating a strong electron-withdrawing group, nitroolefin, into a bipyridine ligand of the Ir^III complex. The luminescence of the probe is quenched owing to the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) process, but switched on by a specific recognition reaction between the probe and Cys. [Ir(ppy)₂(NTY-bpy)](PF₆) shows high sensitivity and selectivity for Cys detection and good biocompatibility. The long-lived emission of [Ir(ppy)₂(NTY-bpy)](PF₆) allows time-gated luminescence analysis of Cys in cells and human sera. These properties make it convenient for the phosphorescence and time-gated luminescence imaging and flow cytometry analysis of Cys in live samples. The Cys images in cancer cells and inflamed macrophage cells reveal that [Ir(ppy)₂(NTY-bpy)](PF₆) is distributed in mitochondria after cellular internalization. Visualizations and flow cytometry analysis of mitochondrial Cys levels and Cys-mediated redox activities of live cells are achieved. By using [Ir(ppy)₂(NTY-bpy)](PF₆) as a probe, in vivo sensing and imaging of Cys in D. magna, zebrafish, and mice are then demonstrated.     

一种钌(Ⅱ)配合物荧光探针用于半胱氨酸和高半胱氨酸的检测

为了检测半胱氨酸和高半胱氨酸,本文合成了一种基于钌(Ⅱ)配合物的荧光探针。 结果表明,该探针可实现对半胱氨酸和高半胱氨酸的较好的灵敏性和选择性检测。 在优化的实验条件下,5~35 μmol/L浓度区间,探针的荧光强度与半胱氨酸和高半胱氨酸浓度呈良好的线性关系。 其检测限分别为0.60和0.78 μmol/L。 该研究为基于钌(Ⅱ)配合物的荧光探针定量检测生物活性分子提供了一种有用的方法。