Photobleaching of Arterial Fluorescent Compounds: Characterization of Elastin, Collagen and Cholesterol Time-resolved Spectra during Prolonged Ultraviolet Irradiation

To study the photobleaching of the main fluorescent compounds of the arterial wall, we repeatedly measured the time-resolved fluorescence of elastin, collagen and cholesterol during 560 s of excitation with nitrogen laser pulses. Three fluence rate levels were used: 0.72, 7.25 and 21.75 microW/mm2. The irradiation-related changes of the fluorescence intensity and of the time-resolved fluorescence decay constants were characterized for the emission at 390, 430 and 470 nm. The fluorescence intensity at 390 nm decreased by 25-35% when the fluence delivered was 4 mJ/mm2, a common value in fluorescence studies of the arterial wall. Cholesterol fluorescence photobleached the most, and elastin fluorescence photobleached the least. Photobleaching was most intense at 390 nm and least intense at 470 nm such that the emission spectra of the three compounds were markedly distorted by photobleaching. The time-resolved decay constants and the fluorescence lifetime were not altered by irradiation when the fluence was below 4 mJ/mm2. The spectral distortions associated with photobleaching complicate the interpretation of arterial wall fluorescence in terms of tissue content in elastin, collagen and cholesterol. Use of the time-dependent features of the emission that are not altered by photobleaching should increase the accuracy of arterial wall analysis by fluorescence spectroscopy.     

FLUORESCENCE DECAY KINETICS and CHARACTERISTICS OF BIMOLECULAR EXCITON ANNIHILATION IN CHLOROPLASTS

Abstract— The decay profiles of the fluorescence of dark-adapted spinach chloroplasts (0^A°C) excited with single 30 ps 532 nm laser pulses of varying intensities were measured with a low-jitter streak camera system. By comparing the decay profiles of the fluorescence at low and high laser fluences, i.e. in the absence and presence, respectively, of dynamic bimolecular exciton-exciton annihilation effects, the duration of such dynamic annihilation events can be estimated. A simple model suggests that the influence of bimolecular annihilation events on the fluorescence decay kinetics should disappear within a time interval corresponding to the low intensity, unimolecular lifetime of the exciton population which is subject to exciton-exciton annihilation. The low intensity fluorescence decay profiles are characterized by three to four lifetimes (Reviewed by A. R. Holzwarth, Photochem. Photobiol. 43,707–725, 1986); it is shown here that only the shortest fluorescence components are subject to exciton annihilation, since the kinetics of the fluorescence decay are influenced by annihilations only within the initial 150–200 ps time interval after the excitation pulse. The amplitudes (but not the decay kinetics) of the longer-lived fluorescence components are decreased at high levels of laser pulse excitations, suggesting that these components are derived from the shorter-lived fluorescence decay components. The implications of these results are*discussed within the contexts of current models of the fluorescence in chloroplasts.     

THE FLUORESCENCE DECAY OF REDUCED NICOTINAMIDES IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION AFTER EXCITATION WITH A UV-MODE LOCKED Ar ION LASER

Abstract— The fluorescence decay kinetics of the reduced nicotinamides NMNH, NADH and NADPH in aqueous solution were investigated using an Ar ion laser, mode locked in the UV, as source of excitation and single photon counting electronics in the detection system allowing for a time resolution in the picosecond range. Analysis of the experimental fluorescence decay showed that the dinucleotides did not follow a single exponential decay law. Good fitting was accomplished with a sum of two exponentials. The mononucleotide fluorescence decay was a single exponential for at least 95% of its amplitude.
The heterogeneity in lifetimes of the fluorescence of the dinucleotides was interpreted in terms of an exciplex mechanism.     

PICOSECOND FLUORESCENCE STUDY OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC MUTANTS OF Chlamydomonas reinhardii: ORIGIN OF THE FLUORESCENCE DECAY KINETICS OF CHLOROPLASTS

Abstract— The fluorescence decay kinetics of photosynthetic mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardii which lack photosystem II (PS II), photosystem I (PS I), and both PS II and PS I have been measured. The PS II mutant strain8–36C exhibits fluorescence decay lifetime components of 53, 424 and 2197 ps. The fluorescence decay of a PS I mutant strain12–7 contains two major fluorescence decay components with lifetimes of 152 and 424 ps. The fluorescence decay of mutant strain C2, which lacks both PS II and PS I, is nearly single exponential with a lifetime of 2561 ± 222 ps. In simulations in which it is assumed that wild-type decays are a simple sum of the major decay components of the isolated parts of the photosynthetic unit as measured in the mutants, curves are obtained that fit the wild-type C. reinhardii fluorescence decay data when the absorption cross-sections of PS II and PS I are weighted approximately equally. The 89 ps lifetime component in the wild-type is an average of 53 and 152 ps components arising from excitation transfer to and trapping in PS I and PS II. The single step transfer time in PS I is estimated to be between 100 and 700 fs depending on assumptions about array size. We find that between two and four visits to the PS I reaction center are required before final trapping.     

Complex formation between tryptophan-containing peptides and nucleic acids: Fluorescence decay studies using synchrotron radiation

Synchrotron radiation has been used to determine the fluorescence decay parameters of a tryptophan-containing oligopeptide, Lys-Trp-Lys, bound to nucleic acids. All fluorescence decay curves can be fitted by a sum of two exponentials. The two lifetimes very likely correspond to two conformational states of the oligopeptide. The mean fluorescence lifetime of the peptide is not markedly affected upon binding to nucleic acids even though the fluorescence quantum yield is strongly reduced. A model is presented that accounts for the existing fluorescence data: two consecutive complexes are formed both involving electrostatic interactions. In one of the complexes the tryptophyl ring is stacked with the nucleic acid bases and its fluorescence is completely quenched. The other complex emits a fluorescence having characteristics which are similar to those of the free peptide.     

USE OF A PULSED LASER DIODE TO MEASURE PICOSECOND FLUORESCENCE LIFETIMES

Abstract— The use of an inexpensive pulsed laser diode (Hamamatsu picosecond light pulser PLP-01) as the excitation source for a single photon timing spectrolluorimeter with microchannel plate photomultiplier detection was dem-onstrated. The performance of the instrument was tested with two very short-lived fluorescent dyes and two pho-tosynthetic systems with wcll-defined decay characteristics. Individual fluorescence decays were analyzed by modeling with a convolution of the instrument response function to a sum of exponential decay components. Accurate fluorcscence lifetimcs of the dyes cryptocyanine (55 ps in acetone and 83 ps in ethanol) and 1,1'-diethyl-2,2'-dicarbocyanine iodide (13 ps in acetone and 26 ps in ethanol) were obtained by analysis of the decay kinetics with a single exponential component. Fits to the fluorescence decay kinetics of isolated photosystem I particles and intact cyanobacterial cells required three and four decay components. respectively. The decay kinetics of the isolated photosystem I preparation were dominated (99%) by a very fast 9 ps lifetime, reflecting the preparation's small antenna size of approximately 30 chlorophyll a . The cyanobackria showed decay components of 35 ps, 160 ps, 400 ps and 1.95 ns similar to those described previously by Mullincaux and Holzwarth ( Rinchim. Biophys. Acfa 1098 , 68–78, 1991). The performance of the pulsed laser diode as an excitation source for single photon timing is discussed in comparison with conventional sources of picosecond light pulses.     

INTENSITY DEPENDENCE OF FLUOROPHORE PHOTOBLEACHING BY A STEPPED-INTENSITY SLOW-BLEACH EXPERIMENT

Abstract— We describe a simple method for determination of the dependence of fluorophore photo-bleaching on the intensity of the incident light. A sample of fluorophore is illuminated uniformly with an intensity which is sufficient only to bleach a small fraction of the fluorophore during a fluorescence lifetime period. The long-term decay of fluorescence due to photobleaching is monitored before and after a stepped increase in the incident intensity. The order of the photobleaching reaction is determined by taking the ratio of the logarithms of the limiting values of the slope of the fluorescence bleaching curve and the absolute fluorescence change. The method is applied to fluorescein, bound to dextran or ovalbumin, in aqueous solution, and the order of the reaction in both cases is shown to be unity.     

Hybrid materials for solid-state dye laser applications

The quest for a solid-state tunable dye laser can be satisfied by sol-gel prepared organic-inorganic hybrids. A photostability study of porous silica-Rhodamine 6G hybrids prepared via a sol-gel method is presented. The dye molecules can be incorporated into the silica matrix by forming weak or covalent bonds (hybrids of classes I and II, respectively). New class II samples and traditional class I materials prepared by the pre-doping method were synthesized. Samples were characterized by photoluminescence measurements to compare the emission properties and the photostability of the samples. The decay of the fluorescence signal as the cumulative excitation energy increases is reported and interpreted by hypothesizing that the dye molecules can be hosted in different surroundings within the porous glass matrix. The reported photoluminescence and photobleaching features indicate the class II samples as good candidates for solid-state dye lasers.     

Protoporphyrin IX fluorescence photobleaching and the response of rat Barrett's esophagus following 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy

Barrett's esophagus (BE) can experimentally be treated with 5-aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT), in which ALA, the precursor of the endogenous photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) and subsequent irradiation with laser light are applied to destroy the (pre)malignant tissue. Accurate dosimetry is critical for successful ALA-PDT. Here, in vivo dosimetry and kinetics of PpIX fluorescence photobleaching were studied in a rat model of BE. The fluence and fluence rate were standardized in vivo and PpIX fluorescence was measured simultaneously at the esophageal wall during ALA-PDT and plotted against the delivered fluence rather than time. Rats with BE were administered 200 mg kg(-1) ALA (n = 17) or served as control (n = 4). Animals were irradiated with 633 nm laser light at a measured fluence rate of 75 mW cm(-2) and a fluence of 54 J cm(-2). Large differences were observed in the kinetics of PpIX fluorescence photobleaching in different animals. High PpIX fluorescence photobleaching rates corresponded with tissue ablation, whereas low rates corresponded with no damage to the epithelium. Attempts to influence tissue oxygenation by varying balloon pressure and ventilation were shown not to be directly responsible for the differences in effect. In conclusion, in vivo dosimetry is feasible in heterogeneous conditions such as BE, and PpIX fluorescence photobleaching is useful to predict the tissue response to ALA-PDT.     

Comparison of the photodynamic effect of exogenous photoprotoporphyrin and protoporphyrin IX on PAM 212 murine keratinocytes

A comparative study of the cellular photosensitizing properties of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) and photoprotoporphyrin (Ppp) was carried out in the transformed murine keratinocyte cell line, PAM 212. Time-course fluorescence studies were performed to determine the rate of uptake by cells together with fluorescence microscopy. The sensitized cells were laser irradiated with a range of light doses at 635 or 670 nm to determine the phototoxicity of the two compounds and to investigate their relative fluorescence photobleaching properties. Ppp showed enhanced phototoxicity at both its optimal activation wavelength of 670 nm (eight times more phototoxic than PpIX activated at its optimal wavelength of 635 nm for the same fluence) and at 635 nm (three times more phototoxic than PpIX at the same wavelength), using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. The photobleaching rate of Ppp in cells was found to be higher using 670 nm irradiation compared with that of PpIX at 635 nm irradiation. At 635 nm, however, the photobleaching rate of Ppp was comparable to that of PpIX. The photobleaching quantum yields of the two compounds in cells were found to be similar at approximately 5 x 10(-4), with the same value confirmed at both 670 and 635 nm irradiation for Ppp. The fluorescence lifetime of Ppp in cells was measured as 5.4 ns using time-correlated single photon counting.     

Time-resolved total internal reflection fluorescence spectroscopy. Part I. Photophysics of Coumarin 343 at liquid/liquid interface

Pico-second time-resolved time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) technique under the total internal reflection (TIR) condition has been used to study the photophysical properties of Coumarin 343 (C343) dye molecules adsorbed at the water/1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) interface. The fluorescence decay profile of C343 under TIR condition at the water/DCE interface was non-exponential and fitted to the double exponential decay function with the fluorescence lifetimes 0.3 and 3.6 ns, which proved the existence of two different forms of C343 species having largely different lifetimes at the interface. The longer fluorescence lifetime component of C343 at the interface is attributed to the emission from the monomeric form of the dye molecules and the shorter lifetime component is due to the aggregation of dye molecules. The penetration depth dependence of decay curves indicated no change in the fluorescence lifetime components, however, the amplitude corresponding to the lifetime of aggregate increased and the amplitude corresponding to the lifetime of monomer decreased with the decrease in penetration depth of the aqueous phase from the interface. Aggregation is significant in the interfacial layer. The decrease in monomer lifetime at the interface compared to that in the bulk solution is interpreted in terms of excitation energy migration between the dye molecules.     

Fluorescence blinking, exciton dynamics, and energy transfer domains in single conjugated polymer chains

In order to understand exciton migration and fluorescence intensity fluctuation mechanisms in conjugated polymer single molecules, we studied fluorescence decay dynamics at "on" and "off" fluorescence intensity levels with 20 ps time resolution using MEH-PPV [poly(2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] dispersed in PMMA. Two types of intensity fluctuations were distinguished for single chains of conjugated polymers. Abrupt intensity fluctuations (blinking) were found to be always accompanied by corresponding changes in fluorescence lifetime. On the contrary, during "smooth" intensity fluctuations no lifetime change was observed. Time-resolved data in combination with data on fluorescence emission and excitation anisotropy lead to a picture where a single polymer molecule is seen as consisting of several energy transfer domains. Exciton migration is efficient within a domain and not efficient between domains. Each domain can have several emitting low-energy sites over which the exciton continuously migrates until it decays. Emission of individual domains is often highly polarized. Fluorescence from a domain can be strongly quenched by Forster energy transfer to a quencher (hole polaron) if the domain overlaps with the quenching sphere.     

THREE EXPONENTIAL FLUORESCENCE DECAY OF HORSE LIVER ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE REVEALED BY IODIDE QUENCHING

Abstract— The time resolved fluorescence decay of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase was measured using a frequency doubled picosecond dye laser and time-correlated single-photon counting detection. A flow-cell technique is described which eliminates the photodegradation artifacts which commonly occur with laser excitation. A procedure is introduced which uses fluorescence quenching to reveal minor fluorescence lifetime components. The decay of the unquenched tryptophanyl fluorescence could be described by a double exponential decay law, but experiments conducted in the presence of iodide ion showed that the fluorescence decay must be more complex than this. A model is presented in which the fluorescence decay consists of three exponential components, only two of which are susceptible to quenching by iodide ion. Several possibilities are presented for the origin of this minor decay component, the most reasonable of which is that it arises from conformational heterogeneity in the solvent-exposed tryptophanyl residue.     

PICOSECOND DYNAMICS OF THE EXCITED STATE RELAXATIONS IN PHYTOCHROME

Abstract— A comparative study of the picosecond kinetics of rye ( Secale cereale L.) phytochrome, its 39 and 23 kDa chromopeptides and deuterated rye phytochrome has been carried out. Evidence is presented that the fluorescence decay of Pr contains a very short lifetime component (14 ps) which has escaped detection in the fluorescence studies reported so far. Thus, the overall decay is well described by four exponential components, two rapid (14 and 44 ps) and two slower ones (157 and 690 ps). The fluorescence decays of deuterated Pr and of a 39 and 23 kDa chromopeptide of Pr also require the analysis in terms of four exponentials for a good fit. Some of the lifetime and amplitude values obtained differ significantly from the values estimated for Pr. In the chromopeptides, the two longer components have distinctly slower decays. For the two faster components the lifetimes remain approximately the same, but their relative amplitudes vary greatly. In deuterated Pr, the lifetimes are affected only slightly by deuteration. In contrast, the decay amplitudes are strikingly altered. Moreover, from a rate equation simulation modelling the observed fluorescence kinetics, it turns out that the yields for the various deactivation steps in the chromopeptides and in deuterated Pr reveal differences from the corresponding values in Pr. The implications of the results presented with respect to the influence of the protein moiety of Pr on the picosecond relaxation process are discussed.     

Fluorescence Study of the Conformational Properties of Recombinant Tick Anticoagulant Peptide (Ornithodorus moubata) Using Multifrequency Phase Fluorometry

Abstract— Steady-state and multifrequency phase fluorometry were used to characterize the conformational state and conformational dynamics of recombinant tick anticoagulant peptide ( Ornithodorus moubata ) (TAP). The TAP contains two tryptophan residues at positions 11 and 37. The fluorescence emission varies sigmoidally as a function of pH with a pK_a of 6.01 ± 0.07. This pH dependency suggests that tryptophan fluorescence is quenched by His43 at low pH. This is confirmed by modification of the his-tidine with diethylpyrocarbonate. At pH 9 the fluorescence decay is well described by a sum of three exponentials (0.52,1.9 and 5.4 ns), which decrease all three at pH 4 (0.25, 1.61 and 4.4 ns). From the reactivity of the fluorescence lifetimes toward N -bromosuccinimide and from the calculation of the accessibility we can attribute the long lifetime to Trpll, the short one to Trp37 and the middle one to both. The anisotropy decay was resolved into two components of 3.85 ns and 0.27 ns at pH 4 and 4.5 ns and 0.6 ns at pH 9. The long anisotropy decay time corresponds to the rotational correlation time of the protein, the short one to local mobility of the tryptophan residues.     

Reduced blinking and long-lasting fluorescence of single fluorophores coupling to silver nanoparticles

The fluorescence signal of single organic fluorophores is characterized by random blinking and irreversible photobleaching. Photoinduced blinking of Cy5 has posed various limitations of this popular near-infrared (NIR) probe in biological applications. Here we show that fluorophore-metal nanoparticle (NP) complexes greatly suppress Cy5 blinking and noticeably reduce photobleaching events. The blinking behavior of single Cy5 molecules was investigated and compared in the absence and the presence of silver nanostructures. A power-law distribution of off time population was observed for single Cy5 molecules. Average off times were compared to evaluate the plasmonic effect of silver nanoparticles on the triplet decay rates. We furthermore demonstrate enhanced photostability in the presence of silver NPs. The results show that plasmonic-controlled fluorescence can lead to a novel physical mechanism to enhance fluorescence intensity, reduce blinking, and increase photostability.     

RESOLUTION OF SPECTRAL AND LIFETIME HETEROGENEITY OF TRYPTOPHAN FLUORESCENCE IN BACTERIORHODOPSIN

Abstract— The picosecond time-resolved fluorescence decay of bacteriorhodopsin (BR) was analyzed by the maximum entropy method. Results showed five distributions of lifetimes indicating at least five decay components. A wavelength-dependent study of emission decay of BR was carried out in the wavelength region from 310 to 390 nm. The decay at each wavelength was resolvable into four decay components by the discrete exponential analysis. The three short lifetime components (100 ± 20 ps, 400 ± 50 ps and 1.0 ± 0.1 ns) were independent of wavelength, whereas the longest lifetime component was wavelength dependent (varying from 4.1 ns at 310 nm to 5.7 ns at 390 nm). These results are inconsistent with the existing model of associating the fluorescence of bacteriorhodopsin with two or four lifetime components. An attempt is made to associate the five decay components with the emitting tryptophans of BR.     

The effects of photochemical and mechanical damage on the excited state dynamics of charge-transfer molecular crystals composed of tetracyanobenzene and aromatic donor molecules

Charge-transfer molecular crystals are structurally well-defined systems whose electron transfer dynamics can be studied using time-resolved spectroscopy. In this paper, five 1:1 complexes, consisting of 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene as the electron acceptor and durene, 9-methylanthracene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene as electron donors, are studied using time-resolved fluorescence and transient absorption in the diffuse reflectance geometry. Two different sample morphologies were studied: single crystals and powders prepared by pulverizing the crystals and diluting them with barium sulfate microparticles. Fluorescence lifetime and transient absorption measurements performed on the crystals and the powders yielded different results. The crystals typically exhibited long-lived monoexponential fluorescence decays, while the powders had shorter multiexponential decays. Exposure of both types of samples to high laser fluence was also shown to induce faster excited state decay dynamics as observed using fluorescence and diffuse reflectance. In addition to the more rapid decays, these molecular crystals exhibited relatively high photobleaching quantum yields on the order of 10(-4). Previous work that interpreted picosecond decays in the transient absorption as evidence for rapid recombination and charge dissociation should be re-evaluated based on the susceptibility of this class of compounds to mechanical and photochemical damage.     

FLUORESCENCE KINETICS OF SPINACH CHLOROPLASTS MEASURED WITH A PICOSECOND OPTICAL KERR GATE

Abstract. An overview of the reported chlorophyll a fluorescence lifetimes from green plant photosystems is presented and the problems encountered in the measurement of fluorescence lifetime using two currently available picosecond techniques are discussed.
The fluorescence intensity of spinach chloroplasts exposed to 10 ps flashes was measured as a function of time after the flash and wavelength of observation by the ultrafast Kerr shutter technique. Using a train of 100 pulses separated by 6ns and with an average photon flux per pulse of ˜2 times 10¹⁴ photons/cm², the fluorescence intensity at 685 nm (room temperature) was found to decay with two components, a fast one with a 56 ps lifetime, and a slow one with a 220 ps lifetime. The 730 nm fluorescence intensity at room temperature decays as a single exponential with a 100 ps lifetime. The 730 nm fluorescence lifetime was found to increase by a factor of 6 when the temperature was lowered from room temperature to 90 K while the lifetime of 685 and 695 nm fluorescence were unchanged. At room temperature, the fast and slow components at 685 nm are attributed to the emission from pigment system I (PS I) and PS II, respectively. It is likely that the absolute values of lifetimes, reported here, may increase if single ps low intensity flashes are used for these measurements.