Conferring Phosphorogenic Properties on Iridium(III)‐Based Bioorthogonal Probes through Modification with a Nitrone Unit

The use of bioorthogonal probes that display fluorogenic or phosphorogenic properties is advantageous to the labeling and imaging of biomolecules in live cells and organisms. Herein we present the design of three iridium(III) complexes containing a nitrone moiety as novel phosphorogenic bioorthogonal probes. These probes were non‐emissive owing to isomerization of the C=N group but showed significant emission enhancement upon cycloaddition reaction with strained cyclooctynes. Interestingly, the connection of the nitrone ligand to the cationic iridium(III) center led to accelerated reaction kinetics. These nitrone complexes were also identified as phosphorogenic bioorthogonal labels and imaging reagents for cyclooctyne‐modified proteins. These findings contribute to the development of phosphorogenic bioorthogonal probes and imaging reagents.     

Expanding the Range of Bioorthogonal Tags for Multiplex Stimulated Raman Scattering Microscopy

Multiplex optical detection in live cells is challenging due to overlapping signals and poor signal-to-noise associated with some chemical reporters. To address this, the application of spectral phasor analysis to stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy for unmixing three bioorthogonal Raman probes within cells is reported. Triplex detection of a metallacarborane using the B−H stretch at 2480–2650 cm⁻¹, together with a bis-alkyne and deuterated fatty acid can be achieved within the cell-silent region of the Raman spectrum. When coupled to imaging in the high-wavenumber region of the cellular Raman spectrum, nine discrete regions of interest can be spectrally unmixed from the hyperspectral SRS dataset, demonstrating a new capability in the toolkit of multiplexed Raman imaging of live cells.     

Iridoid Sex Pheromone Biosynthesis in Aphids Mimics Iridoid-Producing Plants

Biosynthesis of (1R,4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactol ( 1 ) and (4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactone ( 2 ) in plants involves iridoid synthase (ISY), an atypical reductive cyclase that catalyses the reduction of 8-oxogeranial into the reactive enol of (S)-8-oxocitronellal, and cyclization of this enol intermediate, either non-enzymatically or by a nepetalactol-related short chain dehydrogenase enzyme (NEPS) that yields the nepetalactols. In this study, we investigated the biosynthesis in vivo of 1 and 2 in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, using a library of isotopically-labelled monoterpenoids as molecular probes. Topical application of deuterium-labelled probes synthesized from geraniol and nerol resulted in production of ²H₄−lactol 1 and ²H₄−lactone 2 . However, deuterium incorporation was not evident using labelled probes synthesized from (S)-citronellol. These results suggest that iridoid biosynthesis in animals, specifically aphids, may follow a broadly similar route to that characterised for plants.     

Color-Tunable Light-up Bioorthogonal Probes for In Vivo Two-Photon Fluorescence Imaging

Light-up bioorthogonal probes have attracted increasing attention recently due to their capability to directly image diverse biomolecules in living cells without washing steps. The development of bioorthogonal probes with excellent fluorescent properties suitable for in vivo imaging, such as long excitation/emission wavelength, high fluorescence turn-on ratio, and deep penetration, has been rarely reported. Herein, a series of azide-based light-up bioorthogonal probes with tunable colors based on a weak fluorescent 8-aminoquinoline ( AQ ) scaffold were designed and synthesized. The azido quinoline derivatives are able to induce large fluorescence enhancement (up to 1352-fold) after click reaction with alkynes. In addition, the probes could be engineered to exhibit excellent two-photon properties (δ=542 GM at 780 nm) after further introducing different styryl groups into the AQ scaffold. Subsequent detailed bioimaging experiments demonstrated that these versatile probes can be successfully used for live cell/zebrafish imaging without washing steps. Further in vivo two-photon imaging experiments demonstrated that these light-up biorthogonal probe outperformed conventional fluorophores, for example, high signal-to-noise ratio and deep tissue penetration. The design strategy reported in this study is a useful approach to realize diverse high-performance biorthogonal light-up probes for in vivo studying.     

Bioorthogonal Ligation and Cleavage by Reactions of Chloroquinoxalines with ortho-Dithiophenols

A bioorthogonal ligation and cleavage method via reactions of chloroquinoxalines (CQ) and ortho-dithiophenols (DT) is presented. Double nucleophilic substitutions of ortho-dithiophenols to chloroquinoxalines provide conjugates containing tetracyclic benzo[5,6][1,4]dithiino[2,3-b]quinoxaline with strong built-in fluorescence together with release of the other functional molecules. Three cleavable linkers were designed and successfully used in release of the molecules containing biotin from the protein conjugates. The CQ-DT bioorthogonal reactions can be applied for the bioorthogonal ligations, bioorthogonal cleavages, and trans-tagging of proteins, and show advantages of readily accessible unnatural orthogonal groups, appealing reaction kinetics (k₂≈1.3 m ⁻¹ s⁻¹), excellent biocompatibility of orthogonal groups, and high stability of conjugates. This complements previous bioorthogonal reactions and is a new route for protein-fishing applications and in-gel fluorescence analysis.     

Vinylboronic Acids as Fast Reacting,Synthetically Accessible,and Stable Bioorthogonal Reactants in the Carboni–Lindsey Reaction

Bioorthogonal reactions are widely used for the chemical modification of biomolecules. The application of vinylboronic acids (VBAs) as non‐strained, synthetically accessible and water‐soluble reaction partners in a bioorthogonal inverse electron‐demand Diels–Alder (iEDDA) reaction with 3,6‐dipyridyl‐s‐tetrazines is described. Depending on the substituents, VBA derivatives give second‐order rate constants up to 27 m ⁻¹ s⁻¹ in aqueous environments at room temperature, which is suitable for biological labeling applications. The VBAs are shown to be biocompatible, non‐toxic, and highly stable in aqueous media and cell lysate. Furthermore, VBAs can be used orthogonally to the strain‐promoted alkyne–azide cycloaddition for protein modification, making them attractive complements to the bioorthogonal molecular toolbox.     

Highly Selective Benzylic C?H Bond Activation of Toluene 1 by ‘Bare’ FeO+ in the Gas Phase. Short communication

The reaction of FeO⁺ with toluene in the gas phase occurs at collision rate (k_r = 1.36 × 10⁻⁹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹), and labeling experiments demonstrate that the total products due to C H bond activation involve to > 92% the benzylic position. In the ‘hydride’ abstraction process (formation of FeOH and C₇H), the H-atom originates elusively from the benzylic position to generate a benzyl cation, and an intramolecular kinetic isotope effect k_H/k_D = 1.75 has been obtained. There is no evidence for the existence of isotopically sensitive branching (‘metabolic switching’) in the system studied.     

Tetrafluorination of Aromatic Azide Yields a Highly Efficient Staudinger Reaction: Kinetics and Biolabeling

The development of highly efficient bioorthogonal reactions is of paramount importance for the research fields of biomaterials and chemical biology. We found that the o,o′‐difluorinated aromatic azide was able to react with triphenylphosphine to produce water‐stable phosphanimine. To further improve the efficiency of this kind of nonhydrolysis Staudinger reaction, a tetrafluorinated aromatic azide was employed to develop a faster nonhydrolysis Staudinger reaction with a rate of up to 51 m ⁻¹ s⁻¹, as revealed by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis and fluorescence kinetics. As a proof‐of‐concept study, the highly efficient Staudinger reaction was successfully used for chemoselective fluorescence labeling of proteins and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) as well as for protein polyethyleneglycol (PEG)ylation. We believe that this bioorthogonal reaction can provide a broadly useful tool for various bioconjugations.     

Alkene–Tetrazine Ligation for Imaging Cellular DNA

5‐Vinyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine (VdU) is the first reported metabolic probe for cellular DNA synthesis that can be visualized by using an inverse electron demand Diels–Alder reaction with a fluorescent tetrazine. VdU is incorporated by endogenous enzymes into the genomes of replicating cells, where it exhibits reduced genotoxicity compared to 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine (EdU). The VdU–tetrazine ligation reaction is rapid (k≈0.02 M ^?1 s^?1) and chemically orthogonal to the alkyne–azide “click” reaction of EdU‐modified DNA. Alkene–tetrazine ligation reactions provide the first alternative to azide–alkyne click reactions for the bioorthogonal chemical labeling of nucleic acids in cells and facilitate time‐resolved, multicolor labeling of DNA synthesis.     

Ultrafluorogenic Coumarin–Tetrazine Probes for Real‐Time Biological Imaging

We have developed a series of new ultrafluorogenic probes in the blue‐green region of the visible‐light spectrum that display fluorescence enhancement exceeding 11 000‐fold. These fluorogenic dyes integrate a coumarin fluorochrome with the bioorthogonal trans‐cyclooctene(TCO)–tetrazine chemistry platform. By exploiting highly efficient through‐bond energy transfer (TBET), these probes exhibit the highest brightness enhancements reported for any bioorthogonal fluorogenic dyes. No‐wash, fluorogenic imaging of diverse targets including cell‐surface receptors in cancer cells, mitochondria, and the actin cytoskeleton is possible within seconds, with minimal background signal and no appreciable nonspecific binding, opening the possibility for in vivo sensing.     

Redox Properties and in Vivo Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cyclodextrin-Polynitroxides Contrast Agents

This paper reports the synthesis, characterization and in vivo application of water-soluble supramolecular contrast agents (Mw: 5–5.6 kDa) for MRI obtained from β-cyclodextrin functionalized with different kinds of nitroxide radicals, both with piperidine structure ( CD2 and CD3 ) and with pyrrolidine structure ( CD4 and CD5 ). As to the stability of the radicals in presence of ascorbic acid, CD4 and CD5 have low second order kinetic constants (≤0.05 M⁻¹ s⁻¹) compared to CD2 (3.5 M⁻¹ s⁻¹) and CD3 (0.73 M⁻¹ s⁻¹). Relaxivity (r₁) measurements on compounds CD3 - CD5 were carried out at different magnetic field strength (0.7, 3, 7 and 9.4 T). At 0.7 T, r₁ values comprised between 1.5 mM⁻¹ s⁻¹ and 1.9 mM⁻¹ s⁻¹ were found while a significant reduction was observed at higher fields (r₁≈0.6-0.9 mM⁻¹ s⁻¹ at 9.4 T). Tests in vitro on HEK293 human embryonic kidney cells, L929 mouse fibroblasts and U87 glioblastoma cells indicated that all compounds were non-cytotoxic at concentrations below 1 μmol mL⁻¹. MRI in vivo was carried out at 9.4 T on glioma-bearing rats using the compounds CD3 - CD5 . The experiments showed a good lowering of T₁ relaxation in tumor with a retention of the contrast for at least 60 mins confirming improved stability also in vivo conditions.     

Isatin Analysis Using Flow Injection Analysis with Amperometric Detection – Comparison of Tetrahedral Amorphous Carbon and Diamond Electrode Performance

Isatin is an endogenous indole compound in humans and rodents that has a wide range of biological activity. In rat models, isatin concentrations have been shown to increase in the heart, brain, blood plasma, and urine with stress. Studies on patients suffering from Parkinson's disease have indicated a correlation between progress of the disease and urinary output of the molecule. Isatin is electrochemically active and can therefore be detected with electrochemical techniques. In this work, we compared the performance of a nitrogen‐incorporated tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta‐C:N) and a boron‐doped nanocrystalline diamond thin‐film electrode for the oxidative detection of this biomolecule using flow injection analysis with amperometric detection. The measurements were performed in 0.1 phosphate buffer pH 7.2. The ta‐C:N electrode, like boron‐doped nanocrystalline diamond, exhibits some excellent properties for electroanalytical measurements including (i) low background current and noise, (ii) microstructural stability at positive detection potentials, and (iii) good activity for a wide range of bioanalytes without conventional surface pretreatment. The results reveal that both electrodes exhibit a linear dynamic range from 100 to 0.1 μmol L⁻¹, a short‐term response variability 3–4 % RSD (30 injections), a sensitivity of 18 mA M^‐1, and a limit of detection (S/N=3) of 1.0×10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ (14 ng mL⁻¹ or 2.5 fmol).     

Bioorthogonal Chemical Reporters for Selective In Situ Probing of Mycomembrane Components in Mycobacteria

The global pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other species in the suborder Corynebacterineae possess a distinctive outer membrane called the mycomembrane (MM). The MM is composed of mycolic acids, which are either covalently linked to an underlying arabinogalactan layer or incorporated into trehalose glycolipids that associate with the MM non‐covalently. These structures are generated through a process called mycolylation, which is central to mycobacterial physiology and pathogenesis and is an important target for tuberculosis drug development. Current approaches to investigating mycolylation rely on arduous analytical methods that occur outside the context of a whole cell. Herein, we describe mycobacteria‐specific chemical reporters that can selectively probe either covalent arabinogalactan mycolates or non‐covalent trehalose mycolates in live mycobacteria. These probes, in conjunction with bioorthogonal chemistry, enable selective in situ detection of the major MM components.     

A Rapid Determination of Taurine in Human Plasma by LC

Taurine is an amino acid which is not incorporated into proteins but found in the cytosol of many mammalian cells, in high concentrations (2–30 mM). Increase in plasma taurine concentration has already been reported after surgical trauma, X-radiation, muscle necrosis, carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage, and paracetamol overdose. Plasma taurine concentration was measured using LC with fluorescence detection following derivatization by o-phtalaldehyde plus 3-mercapto-propionic acid and α-aminobutyric acid as internal standard. Under these conditions the retention time of taurine was 10 min. This method was sensitive enough, to quantify 150 pg mL⁻¹ and detect 50 pg mL⁻¹ of taurine ranging normally between 65 and 179 mmol L⁻¹ (8–22 μg mL⁻¹). The validated method allowed simple determination of human plasma taurine in pharmacokinetic and biomarker studies.

     

A Fluorescent Probe for Al3+ Based on Calix[4]arene Containing Salicylaldehyde-Derived Schiff Base

Two novel fluorescent probes L1 and L2 for recognizing Al³⁺ have been prepared by cooperating salicylaldehyde-derived Schiff base groups onto the upper rim of the calix[4]arene. Of these probes, L2 is the most effective at recognizing Al³⁺, displaying a highly selective fluorescence “on” response with an emission wavelength at 478 nm and a Stokes shift of 88 nm. Additionally, probe L2 can form a 1 : 1 coordination complex with Al³⁺ with a binding constant of 2.6×10¹⁰ M⁻¹. Furthermore, its fluorescence intensity exhibits a good linear relationship with Al³⁺ concentration within the range of 2.0×10⁻⁵ M to 1.4×10⁻⁴ M, and the probe has a low detection limit of 4.36×10⁻⁷ M.     

Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Gold Halide Perovskites: Structural Diversity through Cation Size

Crystal structures of a series of organic–inorganic hybrid gold iodide perovskites, formulated as A₂[Au^II₂][Au^IIII₄] [A=methylammonium (MA) ( 1 ) and formamidinium (FA) ( 2 )], A′₂[I₃]_1−x[Au^II₂]_x[Au^IIII₄] [A′=imidazolium (IMD) ( 3 ), guanidinium (GUA) ( 4 ), dimethylammonium (DMA) ( 5 ), pyridinium (PY) ( 6 ), and piperizinium (PIP) ( 7 )], systematically changed depending on the cation size. In addition, triiodide (I₃⁻) ions were partly incorporated into the AuI₂⁻ sites of 3 – 7 , whereas they were not incorporated into those of 1 and 2 . Such a difference comes from the size of the organic cation. Optical absorption spectra showed characteristic intervalence charge-transfer bands from Au^I to Au^III species, and the optical band gap increased as the size of the cation became larger.     

Radical Anions of Sterically Protected Polyenes: An ESR and ENDOR Study

Owing to the steric protection by four bulky substituents in the terminal positions 1 and n, several conjugated polyenes could be reduced with K or Cs metal in 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) or tetrahydrofuran (THF) to fairly persistent radical anions. These compounds, denoted here as 2 , 3 ,…︁ 7 (which corresponds to the number, \2 n=2, 3, …︁7, of their formal double bonds) are 1,1,n,n-tetra(tert-butyl) derivatives of buta-1,3-diene, hexa-1,3,5-triene, octa-1,3,5,7-tetraene, deca-1,3,5,7,9-pentaene, dodeca-1,3,5,7,9,11-hexaene, and tetradeca-1,3,5,7,9,11,13-heptaene. In addition to the six polyenes 2 – 7 with all-trans-configuration, the studies comprised an isomer of 3 , the trans,cis,trans-triene, c -3 . The radical anions 2 ^.− – 7 ^.− and c -3 ^.− were characterized by their hyperfine data acquired with ESR, ENDOR, and TRIPLE-resonance spectroscopy. The ¹H-coupling constants comply with the spin distribution predicted for the radical anions of such `linear' π-systems by simple MO models. Ion pairs formed with K⁺ in DME were loose but became tighter with Cs⁺ in THF. Propensity to ion pairing decreased with the lengthening of the π-system on going from 2 ^.− to 3 ^.− – 7 ^.−. Hyperfine data are likewise reported for the radical anions of all-trans-polyenes 8 and 9 , in which two tert-butyl substituents in one terminal position of 2 and 3 , respectively, were replaced by CN groups.     

A general strategy for in situ assembly of light-up fluorophores via bioorthogonal Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling

Herein we presented a general strategy for in situ assembly of intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT)-based light-up fluorophores via bioorthogonal Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction. By introducing iodo group at the appropriate position, five fluorophores with different scaffolds including naphthalimide, coumarin, naphthalene sulfonate, nitrobenzoxadiazole, and acetonaphthone, were designed as bioorthogonal multicolor fluorogenic probes, which could produce significant fluorescence enhancement and high fluorescence quantum yield after Suzuki-Miyaura reaction with aryl boronic acid or boronate. Manipulating the substituents and π scaffold in the fluorophores allows fine-tuning of their photophysical properties. With this strategy, we succeeded in peptide conjugation, no-wash fluorogenic protein labeling, and mitochondria-selective bioorthogonal imaging in live cells.     

Assessment of Mass Transport through Polymeric Electrolyte Membrane by Means of Potentiometric Measures

Summary: This work aims to present a simple methodology to evaluate the proton transport of polymeric electrolyte membranes for fuel cells (PEMFC). The device consists of two ‘L’ tubes with a flanged edge, jointed by a metallic union that allows changing the different membranes to be analyzed. Through Fick´s equations, the matter that flows through the membrane can be assessed. For instance, a composite membrane made of SPSU containing TPA and modified with bis-benzimidazole derivatives as cross-linker showed flux and diffusion coefficient of 2.27.10⁻¹² gm⁻² s⁻¹ and 2.18.10⁻⁷ m² s⁻¹, respectively. These results are 65% larger than the SPSU membranes. The device also allows visualizing, for instance, that the difference between the water columns under atmospheric pressure is not levelled; which means that the pore diameters are sufficiently small to hinder the water molecules crosses them. The conductance values have been found 10⁻³ S and 10⁻⁴ S to composite membrane and sulfonated membrane, respectively, while the Nafion® membrane presented value at same order of composite membrane.     

Phosphorescent and Test Strips Detection Properties of ClO− Probes Based on Iridium(III) Complexes with Pivaloyl Unit as Recognition Site

Three green phosphorescent Iridium(III) complex-based probes with different ligands (Cl⁻ ( Ir-1 ), NCS⁻ ( Ir-2 ) and NCO⁻ ( Ir-3 )) had been developed to detect hypochlorite (ClO⁻) using pivaloyl group as recognition site. The introduction of strong field ligand NCS and NCO caused an increase of quantum yields and phosphorescent lifetime both in solid and solution states. All the three probes could selectively and rapidly detect ClO⁻ through the changes in UV-visible and phosphorescence spectra. Upon addition of ClO⁻ to the solution of probes, green phosphorescent color of probes displayed obvious quench. Meanwhile, using a portable UV lamp, test strips which were pre-immersed with the above-mentioned probes could achieve easy detection of ClO⁻. The sensing process was confirmed by NMR, IR and ESI-MS.