Fluorescence Quenching over Short Range in a Donor‐DNA‐Acceptor System

A new donor‐DNA‐acceptor system has been synthesized containing Nile red‐modified 2′‐deoxyuridine as charge donor and 6‐N,N‐dimethylaminopyrene‐modified 2′‐deoxyuridine as acceptor to investigate the charge transfer in DNA duplexes using fluorescence spectroscopy and time‐resolved femtosecond pump‐probe techniques. Fluorescence quenching experiments revealed that the quenching efficiency of Nile red depends on two components: 1) the presence of a charge acceptor and 2) the number of intervening CG and AT base pairs between donor and acceptor. Surprisingly, the quenching efficiency of two base pairs (73 % for CG and the same for AT) is higher than that for one base pair (68 % for CG and 37 % for AT), while at a separation of three base pairs less than 10 % quenching is observed. A comparison with the results of time‐resolved measurements revealed a correlation between quenching efficiency and the first ultrafast time constant suggesting that quenching proceeds via a charge transfer from the donor to the acceptor. All transients are satisfactorily described with two decays: a rapid charge transfer with 600 fs (～10¹² s^?1) that depends strongly and in a non‐linear fashion on the distance between donor and acceptor, and a slower time constant of a few picoseconds (～10¹¹ s^?1) with weak distance dependence. A third time constant on a nanosecond time scale represents the fluorescence lifetime of the donor molecule. According to these results and time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations a combination of single‐step superexchange and multistep hopping mechanisms can be proposed for this short‐range charge transfer. Furthermore, significantly less quenching efficiency and slower charge transfer rates at very short distances indicate that the direct interaction between donor and acceptor leads to a local structural distortion of DNA duplexes which may provide some uncertainty in identifying the charge transfer rates in short‐range systems.     

Interaction of Fluorescein with Felodipine: A Spectrofluorometric and Thermodynamic Study

The interaction between fluorescein and felodipine (FLD) was investigated by the spectrofluorometric method. The fluorescence of FLD was quenched by fluorescein and quenching is in accordance with the Stern-Volmer relation. The binding constants of fluorescein with FLD were obtained at different temperatures. The binding constant and number of binding sites at different temperatures were calculated yielding the corresponding thermodynamic parameters ΔS, ΔH and ΔG. The distance r between the donor (FLD) and acceptor (fluorescein) molecules was obtained according to the fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The optimum conditions for the fluorometric determination of fluorescein were studied and the quenching method was successfully applied to estimate the fluorescein concentration of the pharmaceutical sample directly.     

Energy transfer and fluorescence quenching in complexes of polymethine dyes with human serum albumin

Electronic excitation energy transfer (EET) between molecules of polymethine dyes bound to human serum albumin (HSA) has been established and studied by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy as well as by fluorescence decay measurements. In this system, excitation of the donor dye molecule leads to fluorescence of the acceptor dye molecule, both bound to HSA, with donor fluorescence quenching by the acceptor. The short distance between the donor and the acceptor (25-28 A) revealed from the Forster model of EET as well as some spectroscopic data show that both molecules are probably located in the same binding domain of HSA. The role of HSA is to bring donor and acceptor molecules together to a distance adequate to achieve EET as well as to increase the donor and acceptor fluorescence quantum yields. Efficient quenching of the intrinsic HSA fluorescence by some polymethine dyes (oxonols) is observed. The experimental results fit well a model for the formation of a weakly fluorescent dye-HSA complex; the quencher in this complex should be located in the immediate vicinity of the HSA fluorophore group (Trp(214)).     

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer from tryptophan in human serum albumin to a bioactive indoloquinolizine system

The interaction between a bioactive molecule, 3-acetyl-4-oxo-6,7-dihydro-12H indolo-[2,3-a] quinolizine (AODIQ), with human serum albumin (HSA) has been studied using steady-state absorption and fluorescence techniques. A 1:1 complex formation has been established and the binding constant (K) and free energy change for the process have been reported. The AODIQ-HSA complex results in fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the tryptophan moiety of HSA to the probe. The critical energy-transfer distance (R ₀) for FRET and the Stern-Volmer constant (K _sv) for the fluorescence quenching of the donor in the presence of the acceptor have been determined. Importantly, K _SV has been shown to be equal to the binding constant itself, implying that the fluorescence quenching arises only from the FRET process. The study suggests that the donor and the acceptor are bound to the same protein at different locations but within the quenching distance.     

Molecular simulation of the interaction between novel type rhodanine derivative probe and bovine serum albumin

The interaction between 3-(4′-methylphenyl)-5-(4′-methyl-2′-sulfophenylazo) rhodanine (M4MRASP) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied by using spectrofluorimetry. It was shown in fluorescence spectrums that the quenching mechanism of BSA by M4MRASP was a static quenching. Meanwhile, the binding constant and binding site numbers were calculated. The action distance (r = 8.03 nm) and energy transfer efficiency (E = 0.12) between donor (BSA) and acceptor (M4MRASP) were obtained according to the theory of Förster non-radiation energy transfer. The effect of M4MRASP on the conformation of BSA was further analyzed by using synchronous fluorescence spectrometry. A new model of the interaction between small organic molecule and biomacromolecule was established. The results offered a reference for the studies on the biological effects and action mechanism of small molecule with protein.     

Probing the Binding of Rifampicin to Bovine Serum Albumin in Aqueous Solution

The binding of rifampicin (RFP), an anti-tuberculosis agent, to bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied at physiological conditions (pH=7.40) by a spectroscopic approach. In the discussion of the quenching mechanism, it was proved that the fluorescence quenching of BSA by RFP is a result of the formation of a RFP–BSA complex. Binding parameters were determined using the modified Stern-Volmer equation and Scatchard’s equation to provide a measure of the binding affinity between RFP and BSA. The resulting thermodynamic parameters ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS at different temperatures indicate that electrostatic interactions play a major role in RFP–BSA association. Site marker competitive displacement experiments demonstrate that RFP binds with high affinity to the site I (subdomain IIA) of BSA. Furthermore, the effect of metal ions on the RFP–BSA system was studied, and the specific binding distance r (3.38 nm) between donor and acceptor (RFP) was obtained according to the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET).     

Fluorescence Quenching Studies of the Interaction Between Riboflavin and Norfloxacin and Analytical Application in the Determination of Vitamin B<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The binding of riboflavin (RBF) to norfloxacin (NF) was investigated by spectroscopic techniques. The results revealed that RBF caused the fluorescence quenching of NF by complex formation. The binding parameters and corresponding thermodynamic parameters ΔH, ΔG and ΔS at different temperatures were calculated. The negative enthalpy (ΔH) and positive entropy (ΔS) values indicated that both hydrogen bond and hydrophobic forces played major roles in the binding of RBF to NF. The distance r between donor (NF) and acceptor (RBF) was obtained according to the Forster’s theory of non-radiative energy transfer. The method of quenching was successfully applied for the determination of riboflavin from pharmaceutical samples.     

Measurements of FRET in a glucose-sensitive affinity system with frequency-domain lifetime spectroscopy

We report measurements of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) for glucose sensing in an established concanavalin A–dextran affinity system using frequency‐domain lifetime spectroscopy. A dextran (MW 2000000) labeled with a small fluorescent donor molecule, Alexa Fluor 568, was used to competitively bind to a sugar‐binding protein, concanavalin A, labeled with acceptor molecule, Alexa Fluor 647, in the presence of glucose. The FRET‐quenching kinetics of the donor were analyzed from frequency‐domain measurements as a function of both glucose and acceptor‐protein concentrations using a Förster‐type decay kinetics model. The results show that the frequency‐domain measurements and donor decay kinetics can quantitatively indicate changes in the competitive binding of 0.09 μM dextran to labeled concanavalin A at a solution concentration of 10.67 μM in the presence of glucose at concentrations ranging from 0 to 224 mg/dL.     

Electronic excitation energy transfer between molecules of carbocyanine dyes in complexes with DNA

Electronic excitation energy transfer has been carried out between molecules of carbocyanine dyes bound noncovalently to DNA. 3,3′,9-Triethyl-5,5′-dimethyloxacarbocyanine iodide was used as an energy donor and 3,3′-diethylthiacarbocyanine iodide as an acceptor dye. In this process, the band belonging to the donor is observed in the fluorescence excitation spectrum of the acceptor. Donor fluorescence quenching by the acceptor in the presence of DNA was studied. The results of the experiments are discussed in terms of the Dye-DNA stoichiometric complex formation and with respect to concentrating the dyes in the microphase (pseudophase) of the biopolymer.     

Tryptophan exposure and accessibility in the chitooligosaccharide-specific phloem exudate lectin from pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima). A fluorescence study

The exposure and accessibility of the tryptophan residues in the chitooligosaccharide-specific pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) phloem exudate lectin (PPL) have been investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy. The emission λ_max of native PPL, seen at 338 nm was red-shifted to 348 nm upon denaturation by 6 M Gdn.HCl in the presence of 10 mM β-mercaptoethanol, indicating near complete exposure of the tryptophan residues to the aqueous medium, whereas a blue-shift to 335 nm was observed in the presence of saturating concentrations of chitotriose, suggesting that ligand binding leads to a decrease in the solvent exposure of the tryptophan residues. The extent of quenching was maximum with the neutral molecule, acrylamide whereas the ionic species, iodide and Cs⁺ led to significantly lower quenching, which could be attributed to the presence of charged amino acid residues in close proximity to some of the tryptophan residues. The Stern–Volmer plot for acrylamide was linear for native PPL and upon ligand binding, but became upward curving upon denaturation, indicating that the quenching occurs via a combination of static and dynamic mechanisms. In time-resolved fluorescence experiments, the decay curves could be best fit to biexponential patterns, for native protein, in the presence of ligand and upon denaturation. In each case both lifetimes systematically decreased with increasing acrylamide concentrations, indicating that quenching occurs predominantly via a dynamic process.     

Investigation of the Interaction Between Ofloxacin and Bovine Serum Albumin: Spectroscopic Approach

Ofloxacin is an antibacterial compound that belongs to the fluoroquinolone family. In this paper, the interaction between ofloxacin and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy and UV-Vis absorbtion spectroscopy under approximately the human physiological conditions. The thermodynamic parameters were calculated according to the dependence of enthalpy change on the temperature as follows: ΔH has a small negative value (−9.96 kJ⋅mol⁻¹), whereas ΔS has a positive value (54.77 J⋅mol⁻¹⋅K⁻¹). In this work, it was proved that the fluorescence quenching of BSA by ofloxacin is a result of the formation of an ofloxacin–BSA complex. Binding studies concerning the number of binding sites (n=1.14) and apparent binding constant were performed by Scatchard’s procedure. The binding distance r between donor (BSA) and acceptor (ofloxacin) was obtained according to the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) method.     

Influence of the environment on photoinduced electron transfer: comparison between organized monolayers at the air-water interface and monolayer assemblies on glass

Photoinduced electron transfer (PET) has been investigated in organized monolayers at the air-water interface and in monolayer assemblies on glass in an effort to evaluate the influence of solvent reorganization and molecular dynamics on PET. The donor monolayer contained an amphiphilic thiacyanine dye, and the electron acceptors were methyl viologen and dioctadecyl viologen, respectively. The distance dependence is described here by a hard disk model, where an acceptor molecule within a disk with a radius rDA around the excited donor molecule quenches the donor fluorescence due to electron transfer. Acceptor molecules outside the disk are considered ineffective. The critical radius rDA is larger in monolayer assemblies on glass (rDA = 1.97 nm) than at the air-water interface (rDA = 1.15 nm) as evaluated from steady-state fluorescence quenching. This large difference indicates that the time between thermal collisions generating and destroying the energetic match required for electron tunneling from the excited donor molecule to the acceptor is quite different in the two systems that are compared.     

Photoinduced Electron Transfer in Host-Guest Complexes of 2-Naphthyl-O(CH2) n -adamantanamines with Mono-6-O-p-nitrobenzoyl-β-cyclodextrin and Mono-6-O-m-nitrobenzoyl-β-cyclodextrin

A number of naphthalene derivatives containing adamantanamine binding moiety and an (CH₂) _n (n=2, 3, 4, 5, 6) spacer were prepared as the electron donor. A supramolecular assembly was fabricated by the inclusion between the donor substrates and the host molecules, i.e., mono-6-O-p-nitrobenzoyl-β-cyclodextrin (pNBCD) and mono-6-O-m-nitrobenzoyl-β-cyclodextrin (mNBCD), in water. The fluorescence quenching in these systems was studied in detail. It revealed efficient photoinduced electron transfers (PET) between the naphthalene donors and the cyclodextrin acceptors. This PET process was partitioned into a dynamic quenching component caused by bimolecule collision reactions and a static quenching component due to hydrophobic binding between the donor and acceptor molecules. Detailed Stern–Volmer constants were measured and they were partitioned into dynamic Stern–Volmer quenching constants (dynamic quenching) and static binding constants (static quenching). In these two pathways, the static quenching was found to be highly efficient and dominant in the presence of NBCD.     

Time-resolved fluorescence analysis of the mobile flavin cofactor in p -hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase

Conformational heterogeneity of the FAD cofactor in p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (PHBH) was investigated with time-resolved polarized flavin fluorescence. For binary enzyme/substrate (analogue) complexes of wild-type PHBH and Tyr222 mutants, crystallographic studies have revealed two distinct flavin conformations; the ‘in’ conformation with the isoalloxazine ring located in the active site, and the ‘out’ conformation with the isoalloxazine ring disposed towards the protein surface. Fluorescence-lifetime analysis of these complexes revealed similar lifetime distributions for the ‘in’ and ‘out’ conformations. The reason for this is twofold. First, the active site of PHBH contains various potential fluorescence-quenching sites close to the flavin. Fluorescence analysis of uncomplexed PHBH Y222V and Y222A showed that Tyr222 is responsible for picosecond fluorescence quenching free enzyme. In addition, other potential quenching sites, including a tryptophan and two tyrosines involved in substrate binding, are located nearby. Since the shortest distance between these quenching sites and the isoalloxazine ring differs only little on average, these aromatic residues are likely to contribute to fluorescence quenching. Second, the effect of flavin conformation on the fluorescence lifetime distribution is blurred by binding of the aromatic substrates: saturation with aromatic substrates induces highly efficient fluorescence quenching. The flavin conformation is therefore only reflected in the small relative contributions of the longer lifetimes.     

酮康唑与血清白蛋白相互作用的荧光光谱研究

用荧光光谱和紫外吸收光谱法研究了酮康唑与牛血清白蛋白和人血清白蛋白的相互作用。实验进行于pH = 7.40±0.1的0.1 mol∙L-1PBS磷酸缓冲溶液。实验结果表明,酮康唑与牛血清白蛋白和人血清白蛋白的结合常数均会随着温度的升高而降低,酮康唑可以有规律地使血清白蛋白内源荧光猝灭,其猝灭机理可认为是酮康唑与白蛋白形成复合物的静态猝灭。并且获得了不同温度下,酮康唑与白蛋白作用的结合常数以及∆G、∆H和∆S等热力学参数。根据所得结果可推断酮康唑与白蛋白的作用力主要为静电作用力和疏水作用力,同时由FRET能量转移理论计算得出了酮康唑与白蛋白结合位置的距离r。     

Study on the Interaction of Pentachlorophenol with Urease in Aqueous Solution by Multiple Spectroscopic Techniques

The interactions between pentachlorophenol (PCP) and jack bean urease were studied using UV/vis absorption, CD, fluorescence, synchronous fluorescence, and three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. The fluorescence data showed that the fluorescence quenching of urease by PCP the results of the formation of a PCP–urease complex involving a hydrophobic interaction. The distance r between the donor (urease) and acceptor (PCP) was obtained from the fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The effect of PCP on the conformation of urease was analyzed using UV/vis absorption, synchronous fluorescence and three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. The result showed that PCP can enter into the hydrophobic pocket at the interface of urease and that the micro environments around the tyrosine and tryptophan residues were changed.     

用荧光猝灭和荧光加强两种理论研究喹诺酮类新药与白蛋白的作用

应用荧光加强和荧光猝灭两种理论公式, 对四种喹诺酮类药物与人血清和牛血清白蛋白的作用作进行了对比研究, 对药物与白蛋白的结合特点和通常的表征量(解离常数、 猝灭常数、 猝灭效率、 能量转移效率、 给体 受体作用距离等)进行了深入地分析; 在白蛋白与药物结合类型上, 四种药物对HSA和BSA的猝灭实验结果表明, 这种由给体-受体结合引起的猝灭作用类型不是由生物大分子血清白蛋白单方面决定的, 而是由血清白蛋白与药物、 即给体与受体两者的分子结构和相互匹配共同决定的.     

Investigation on interaction of prulifloxacin with pepsin: A spectroscopic analysis

The interaction between prulifloxacin, a kind of new oral taking antibiotic and pepsin, a kind of enzyme in the stomach has been investigated in vitro under a simulated physiological condition by different spectroscopic methods. The intrinsic fluorescence of pepsin was strongly quenched by prulifloxacin. This effect was rationalized in terms of a static quenching procedure. The binding parameters have been evaluated by fluorescence quenching methods. The negative value of ΔG⁰ reveals that the binding process is a spontaneous process. The binding distance R between donor (pepsin) and acceptor (prulifloxacin) was obtained according to the Förster's resonance energy transfer theory and found to be 0.95 nm. The results obtained herein will be of biological significance in pharmacology and clinical medicine.     

CdS量子点与曙红Y间的荧光共振能量转移研究

在水溶液中,量子点与有机荧光染料之间可能发生荧光共振能量转移(FRET)。本文以发射波长470nm的Cd S量子点为供体,曙红Y为受体,建立了Cd S量子点-曙红Y的FRET体系,研究了该体系的FRET参数。该体系受体供体数目比为8,猝灭效率为45.6%,增强效率为20.1%;供体-受体间的距离为4.4nm;临界能量转移距离为2.4nm。     

ENERGY TRANSFER AND ENERGY LOSSES IN BILAYER MEMBRANE VESICLES (LIPOSOMES)

Abstract. The efficiency of singlet-singlet energy transfer was studied in bilayer lipid membrane vesicles (liposomes) for the following donor-acceptor systems: (1) p -terphenyl (TP) and diphenyloctatetraene (DPO); (2) DPO and chlorophyll a (Chl a ); and (3) β-carotene and Chl a. The energy transfer efficiency φ_DA was measured by sensitized fluorescence of the acceptor. Fractional quenching of the donor φ_Q was found from the donor fluorescence in absence and presence of the acceptor. For TP-DPO and for DPO-Chl a , the transfer efficiency increased with increasing acceptor concentration but was essentially independent of the donor concentration. No energy transfer from β-carotene to Chl a could be detected. In liposomes, φ_DA differed only slightly from φ_Q at all donor and acceptor concentrations, thus demonstrating the absence of any appreciable energy losses. For solutions of the same donor-acceptor pairs in cyclohexane φ_Q was considerably larger than φ_DA. The difference represents energy lost, principally by internal conversion, due to collisional quenching. The principal function of the lipid membrane appears to be the suppression of such losses. In addition, the rate of energy transfer in lipid membranes is about double that in solutions (at the same intermolecular distance) due to more favorable orientation.