Reversible Photobleaching of Fluorescein Conjugates in Air-Saturated Viscous Solutions: Singlet and Triplet State Quenching by Tryptophan

Abstract— Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) measurements on air-saturated aqueous solutions of fluorescein made viscous with glycerol or sucrose revealed a rapid component of fluorescence recovery with exponential time constants of 30-120 μs at viscosities of 15-300 cP. The rapid recovery process was not related to fluorophore translational diffusion and was insensitive to fluorophore concentration and the additive used to increase solution viscosity. At constant viscosity, the rate of reversible photobleaching recovery increased 2.5-fold in an O₂- vs N₂-saturated solution. The relative efficiency of reversible-to-irreversible photobleaching decreased with increasing photobleaching time and/or beam intensity. Reversible photobleaching was also detected for conjugates of fluorescein with dextrans and proteins in viscous media. In screening triplet state quenchers that might influence the reversible recovery, it was found that tryptophan enhanced the rate of reversible photobleaching recovery (two-fold increase at 8 m M ) and quenched the fluorescein singlet state (Stern-Volmer constant, 12 M ⁻¹). Analysis of fluorescein lifetimes and photobleaching parameters for a series of fluorescein-labeled proteins with different numbers of tryptophans were also carried out. The results provide evidence for an oxygen-dependent, reversible photobleaching mechanism for the fluorescein chromophore involving triplet state relaxation. The identification of reversible fluorescein photobleaching has important implications for FRAP measurements of rapid solute diffusion in biological systems.     

Application of electromodulated fluorescence to the study of the dynamics of single-strand oligonucleotides at modified gold surfaces

Single-strand oligonucleotides with fluorescein labels were immobilized on modified gold electrodes and the surface fluorescence intensity was measured as a function of the potential applied to the electrode. The potential consisted of a constant and sinusoidal parts. The fluorescence was detected synchronously with the sinusoidal component of the potential. Large variation in the electromodulated fluorescence (EmF) was observed as a function of the constant component of the applied potential. In the potential range -0.2 to +0.2 V (vs Ag/AgCl) the EmF signal was quasi-reversible. A model for surface fluorescence was applied to the analysis of the EmF in this potential range. The model assumed that the adsorption-desorption process and quenching by the metal were the dominant mechanisms responsible for the observed EmF. For constant potential more negative than -0.5 V, the observed EmF response appeared to have a contribution from ssDNA in solution. This interpretation was suggested by comparison to EmF from solutions containing free fluorescein or labeled ssDNA. Large variation in the EmF response was observed for electrodes modified with amine and carboxyl groups. This suggests that electrostatic interactions play a dominant role.     

An Alternate Solution of Fluorescence Recovery Kinetics after Spot-Bleaching for Measuring Diffusion Coefficients. 2. Diffusion of Fluorescein in Aqueous Sucrose Solutions

The traditional analysis of the fluorescence recovery kinetics after spot bleaching yields expressions for the diffusion coefficient of the probe that are not suitable for linear fittings. In a previous work we developed an improved recovery function that is a better alternative for data analysis. To illustrate its application to real cases and compare it with the previous data treatment, we measured the time response of fluorescein in aqueous sucrose solutions, covering the unsaturated and the supercooled region, where decoupling between diffusion and viscosity is observed. The results are compared with the mobility of different types of solutes in aqueous sucrose solutions and are discussed in terms of the classical hydrodynamic model.     

The confluence reactor: investigation of the pH-dependent luminescence from 2-naphthol under steady-state mass transport conditions

A new hydrodynamic technique for the measurement of luminescence spectra from chemically reactive species in electrolyte solutions is presented. The new strategy is applied to the pH-dependent luminescence of 2-naphthol. Separate streams of aqueous acid and fluorescer solutions are brought together in a hydrodynamically well-defined manner and the resulting emission spectra recorded directly in the mixing region. The variation in the steady-state emission spectra recorded as a function of volume flow rate is reported. The trends observed are consistent with the ability of the two streams to mix on the timescale which they flow past the detector.     

Influence of human serum albumin on photodegradation of folic acid in solution

It has been proposed that photodegradation of folates may be the reason for the pigmentation of races living under high fluence rates of ultraviolet radiation. The photodegradation of folic acid (FA) induced by ultraviolet-A (UV-A) radiation, in solution and in the presence of human serum albumin (HSA), was studied with absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. FA photodegradation, with formation of p-aminobenzoyl-l-glutamic acid, 6-formylpterin and pterin-6-carboxylic acid, was found to follow an exponential trend. A scheme of FA photodegradation, which involves photosensitization of FA degradation by its photoproducts, was proposed. The rate of FA photodegradation decreased drastically in the presence of HSA, whereas the spectral characteristics of the photoproducts remained constant. The reduction of the FA photodegradation rate by HSA was accompanied by degradation of tryptophan in HSA. Tryptophan, when added to solutions of FA, had a similar effect as HSA. In solutions of FA and HSA the FA photoproducts cause photodamage mainly to HSA rather than to FA itself. The oxygen dependence of FA photodegradation and the inhibition of this process by sodium azide indicate that singlet oxygen may participate in the photosensitizing activity of FA photoproducts.     

Flow-through bulk optode for the fluorimetric determination of perchlorate

A flow-through fluorescence bulk optode for the flow-injection determination of perchlorate is described. As the active constituents the optode incorporates the lipophilized pH indicator fluorescein octadecyl ester and methyl tridodecyl ammonium chloride, dissolved in a plasticized poly (vinyl) chloride membrane entrapped in a cellulose support. The optode is applied in conjunction with the flow injection technique for perchlorate determination at pH 4.5 (acetic-acetate). The sensor is readily regenerated with the pH 10.4 (TRIS) carrier solution. The analytical characteristics of this optode with respect to perchlorate response time, dynamic measurement range, reproducibility and selectivity are discussed. The proposed FI method is applied to the determination of perchlorate in waters from different sources.     

A serial dilution microfluidic device using a ladder network generating logarithmic or linear concentrations

In this paper, we propose a serial dilution microfluidic chip which is able to generate logarithmic or linear step-wise concentrations. These concentrations were generated via adjustments in the flow rate of two converging fluids at the channel junctions of the ladder network. The desired dilution ratios are almost independent of the flow rate or diffusion length of molecules, as the dilution device is influenced only by the ratio of volumetric flow rates. Given a set of necessary dilution ratios, whether linear or logarithmic, a serial dilution chip can be constructed via the modification of a microfluidic resistance network. The design principle was suggested and both the logarithmic and linear dilution chips were fabricated in order to verify their performance in accordance with the fluorescence intensity. The diluted concentrations of a fluorescein solution in the microfluidic device evidenced relatively high linearity, and the cytotoxicity test of MCF-7 breast cancer cells via the logarithmic dilution chip was generally consistent with the results generated with manual dilution.     

Phase-resolved fluorimetric determination of two albumin-bound fluorescein species

A new approach is described for phase-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, for use in resolving mixtures of two components with very similar fluorescence spectra and life-times. Results are given for application of the technique to solutions containing fluorescein physically bound to albumin and fluorescein isothiocyanate covalently bound to albumin. Because the two fluorescein species have essentially identical fluorescence spectra and a phase-angle difference of only 2°, the conventional phase-resolved method in which measurements are made at the two phase angles at which the fluorescence contribution from one or the other of the components is zero will not resolve the components. Solutions containing 25–50 nM of each component were successfully resolved by making measurements at two other phase angles and solving the pair of simultaneous equations that is generated. Accuracy is best (average relative error, 3%) using detector phase angles corresponding to a 45° shift from the phase angles of the components. Relative standard deviations of ±16% are obtained at these phase angles. Solutions containing 5–50 nM fluorescein and 50–500 nM fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugated to albumin could also be resolved, with an average relative error of 16% and ±2.4 r.s.d. The method could be used for simultaneous determination of a fluorophore in two different microenvironments, as in protein-ligand binding studies and in homogeneous immunoassay.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the sensitized photodegradation of uracil--modeling the fate of related herbicides in aqueous environments

The dye-sensitized photodegradation of uracil (UR), the parent compound of several profusely employed herbicides, has been studied as a model of their environmental fate. In order to mimic conditions frequently found in nature, aqueous solutions of UR have been irradiated with visible light in the presence of the natural sensitizer riboflavin (Rf). The results indicate that UR is photostable in acid media, but is quickly degraded in pH 7 or pH 9 solutions, where singlet molecular oxygen [O2(1Delta(g))] and, to a lesser extent, superoxide radical anion (O2*-)-both species photogenerated from triplet excited Rf, 3Rf*-participate in the photodegradation. At pH 7, UR is slowly degraded through an O2*- -mediated mechanism, whereas Rf disappears through its reaction with O2(1Delta(g)) and, in the form of 3Rf*, with UR. On the contrary, at pH 9 Rf is photoprotected through two processes: its regeneration from the formed Rf radical species-a back electron transfer that also produces O2*- -and the elimination from the medium of O2(1Delta(g)) by its reaction with UR. The overall result of the preservation of ground state Rf is the continuity of the photosensitized process and, hence, of the UR degradation. Media with higher pH values could not be employed due to the fast photodegradation of Rf. With rose bengal (RB) as photosensitizer, the rate constants found for the overall interaction between UR and the photogenerated O2(1Delta(g)) were in the range 5 x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1) (at pH 7) to 1.3 x 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) (in 1 M NaOH aqueous solution, mainly physical quenching). The maximum O2(1Delta(g)0-mediated photooxidation efficiencies with RB were reached at pH 11, where only the O2(1Delta(g)0-reactive quenching with UR was observed.     

Confocal microscopic evaluation of mixing performance for three-dimensional microfluidic mixer

We developed a confocal microscopic method for a quantitative evaluation of the mixing performance of a three-dimensional microfluidic mixer. We fabricated a microfluidic baker's transformation (MBT) mixer as a three-dimensional passive-type mixer for the efficient mixing of solutions. Although the MBT mixer is one type of ideal mixers, it is hard to evaluate its mixing performance, since the MBT mixer is based on several cycles of complicated three-dimensional microchannel structures. We applied the method developed here to evaluate the mixing of water and a fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC; diffusion coefficient, 4.9 × 10(-10) m(2) s(-1)) solution by the MBT mixer. This method enables us to capture vertical section images for the fluid distributions of FITC and water at different three-dimensional microchannel structures of the MBT device. These images are in good agreement with those of mixing images based on numerical simulations. The mixing ratio could be calculated by the fluorescence intensity at each pixel of the vertical section image; complete mixing is recognized by a mixing ratio of more than 90%. The mixing ratios are measured at different cycles of the MBT mixer by changing the flow rate; the mixing performance is evaluated by comparisons with the mixing ratio of the straight microchannel without the MBT mixer.     

Theoretical study on the aggregation-induced emission mechanism of anthryl-tetraphenylethene

Since the concept of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) was proposed by Benzhong Tang's research group in 2001, the exploration of the mechanism of AIE and the development of new high-performance AIE materials have been the focus and goal of this field. On the basis of a large number of experiment results, AIE mechanism has been well explained by lots of works, such as restricted intramolecular motion (RIM), J-aggregate et al. As tetraphenylethlene (TPE) molecules are stacked, the rotation of the benzene ring rotor is blocked, and the energy attenuation is released in the form of radiation, showing the AIE effect. In order to further explore the AIE effect of TPE, we performed electronic structure, spectrum simulation, and AIE mechanism calculations of the anthryl-tetraphenylethene (TPE-an) monomer and dimer in the gas phase, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and aqueous solutions at the B3LYP/6-31G** level. The calculation results show that TPE-an molecule is in a propeller-like configuration, and its fluorescence intensity is weak; compared with the monomer, the fluorescence intensity of the dimer increases by 87% in aqueous solution; the fluorescence intensity in the gas phase, THF solution, and aqueous solution gradually enhances with the increase of the degree of aggregation, which are consistent with the experimental results. The enhancement of fluorescence intensity is caused by the change of molecular structure caused by aggregation. This detailed AIE luminescence mechanism will provide theoretical guidance for AIE material design.     

Raman and FTIR spectroscopies of fluorescein in solutions

Raman and Fourier transform-infra red (FT-IR) spectroscopies of fluorescein in aqueous solutions have been investigated in the pH range from 9.1 to 5.4. At pH 9.1 fluorescein is in the dianion form. At pH 5.4, fluorescein is a mixture of monoanion (approximately 85%), dianion and neutral forms (together approximately 15%). The fluorescence quantum yield drops from 0.93 for the dianion form to 0.37 for the monoanion form. The Raman and FT-IR studies focused on the frequency range from 1000 to 1800 cm(-1) which contains the skeletal vibrational modes of the xanthene moiety of fluorescein. At pH 9.1, the spectroscopic feature of fluorescein dianion are consistent with a picture of an electron delocalized among the xanthene moiety and two identical oxygens attached to opposite ends of the xanthene moiety, forming a very symmetric structure. The characteristic of fluorescein dianion is the presence of the phenoxide-like stretch at 1310 cm(-1). At pH 5.4, fluorescein monoanion has lost the symmetric structure characteristic of the dianion. The spectra of the monoanion have distinctive contributions from the phenolic bend at 1184 cm(-1). The assignments of the vibrational bands shown in Raman and FT-IR spectra are given based on both literature and the ab initio calculations at the Hartree-Fock level with HF/6-31 + +G* basis set. Excellent correlation is found between the experimental and calculated spectra.     

蛋白质测定的流动注射荧光法

根据荧光素的单体－二聚体平衡转化的原理，提出了一种检测蛋白质的方法；荧光素在表面活性剂作用下形成二聚体后荧光强度明显降低，加入蛋白质后二聚体解聚使荧光强度增加；结合流动注射法测定牛血清蛋白（BSA），该法简便，灵敏度高，对血清中蛋白质进行测定，结果令人满意。     

荧光素钠乙醇溶液的光谱研究

1 前言荧光素钠作为黄绿光区的一种激光染料,由于它具有高的激光能量转换效率而引起人们的关注.这种染料的发光波长及发光效率都与其溶液的pH值直接有关。我们在前文中详细地研究了这种染料溶液的激光能量转换效率与其pH值的依赖关系,论述了染料分子在不同pH值的溶液中存在着多种不同的变型,并且讨论了其发光效率与pH值存在依赖关系的原因。本文进一步研究该染料在不同pH值的溶液中的吸收光谱、荧光光谱和荧光寿命以探     

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.     

Photolysis of aromatic diisocyanate-based polyurethanes in solution

Fluorescence analysis has been employed as an analytical technique to elucidate the photolysis mechanism of several aromatic diisocyanate-based polyurethanes in solution. Based on a comparison with model arylmonocarbamates and arylbiscarbamates, the photo-Fries rearrangement and cleavage-type products found for the small-model arylcarbamates were also identified for the photolyzed polyurethanes in solution. Viscosity and absorbance change results for photolysis of both air and nitrogen-saturated polyurethane solutions are consistent with a general two-step mechanism for the photolysis of aromatic diisocyanate-based polyurethanes.     

β-Cyclodextrin as a photostabilizer of the plant growth regulator 2-(1-naphthyl) acetamide in aqueous solution

The plant growth regulator 2-(1-naphthyl) acetamide (NAAm) is susceptible to degradation by sunlight and UV light in aqueous solution. Its inclusion complex with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was characterized by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy and its photodegradation was compared with that of aqueous solutions of NAAm. The complex was formed with a stoichiometric ratio of 1:1 with a binding constant of 651 M^?1. The photodegradation behavior of NAAm in the inclusion complex NAAm:β-CD was investigated using both UV (λ = 254 nm) and simulated solar light (Suntest) irradiation. It was found that the NAAm:β-CD complex increases NAAm photostability towards photochemical degradation markedly. In addition, an influence of β-CD concentration was also observed on NAAm degradation rate: higher β-CD concentrations lead to a slower photoinduced transformation. Moreover, some differences were found in the photoproducts in the presence and absence of the cyclodextrin, indicating inhibition of some of the mechanistic pathways. β-CD stabilizes NAAm photodegradation towards sunlight and UV irradiation, enhancing its efficient application on formulations for the treatment of fruits and vegetables.     

Singlet excited-state “energy hopping” in alkylbenzenes

The quenching of toluene fluorescence by cis-6-phenyl-2-hexene has been studied to determine the rate of singlet “energy hopping” in dilute solutions of alkylbenzenes. The singlet lifetime date have been analyzed by the Stern-Volmer method to give the quasi-isoenergetic rate, k_q, as 1.2 × 10¹⁰ M^?1?1. The result is consistent with an excimer formation dissociation mechanism for alkylaromatic singlet energy transfer in dilute solution.     

Fluorescence quantum yields and their relation to lifetimes of rhodamine 6G and fluorescein in nine solvents: improved absolute standards for quantum yields

Absolute fluorescence quantum yields are reported for the rhodamine 6G cation and the fluorescein dianion dyes in nine solvents. This information is combined with previously reported fluorescence lifetimes to deduce radiative and nonradiative decay rates. Along the alcohol series from methanol to octanol, rhodamine 6G displays an increasing radiative rate, in parallel with the square of the refractive index increase, and a slightly decreasing nonradiative rate. Fluorescein is different: the apparent radiative rate actually decreases, suggesting that the emissive species is perturbed in some fashion. For both dyes, fluorescence yields are enhanced in D2O, rising to 0.98, in parallel with a corresponding increase in lifetimes. Protonated solvents invariably give shorter lifetimes and lower quantum yields, contrary to some previous speculation. From this work and an analysis of existing literature values, more precise values have been obtained for two previously proposed absolute quantum yield standards. The yield of fluorescein in 0.1 N NaOH(aq) is 0.925+/-0.015, and for rhodamine 6G in ethanol, it is 0.950+/-0.015. In both cases, the solutions are assumed to be in the limit of low concentration, excited close to their long-wave absorption band and at room temperature but may be either air-saturated or free of oxygen.     

Nanosecond time-resolved studies of long-lived photoinduced charge separation in the dyad fluorescein-anthraquinone-methyl ester adsorbed on TiO2 colloids

A dyad composed of fluorescein and 2-methyl-anthraquinone (FL-AQ) was synthesized and its photophysical properties were examined by absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy, and fluorescence lifetime. The charge-separated state formed by photoinduced intramolecular electron transfer was detected by nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy for the first time. When FL is excited in solution, the photoinduced electron transfer from FL to AQ proceeds efficiently. The rate constant and the efficiency of intramolecular electron transfer are 3.95 x 10(9) s(-1) and 95%, respectively. Its charge-separated state lifetime is too short to detect by transient absorption spectroscopy. Adding nanometer colloidal TiO(2) to an FL-AQ ethanol solution prolongs the lifetime of the charge-separated state, so its transient absorption signal is recorded significantly. The lifetimes of FL(+). at 480 nm and AQ(-). at 560 nm in the FL-AQ/TiO(2) colloidal system are 11.1 and 8.93 mivros, respectively.