Human Serum Albumin Labelling with a New BODIPY Dye Having a Large Stokes Shift

BODIPY dyes are photostable neutral derivatives of 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene. These are widely used as chemosensors, laser materials, and molecular probes. At the same time, BODIPY dyes have small or moderate Stokes shifts like most other fluorophores. Large Stokes shifts are preferred for fluorophores because of higher sensitivity of such probes and sensors. The new boron containing BODIPY dye was designed and synthesized. We succeeded to perform an annulation of pyrrole ring with coumarin heterocyclic system and achieved a remarkable difference in absorption and emission maximum of obtained fluorophore up to 100 nm. This BODIPY dye was equipped with linker arm and was functionalized with a maleimide residue specifically reactive towards thiol groups of proteins. BODIPY residue equipped with a suitable targeting protein core can be used as a suitable imaging probe and agent for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). As the most abundant protein with a variety of physiological functions, human serum albumin (HSA) has been used extensively for the delivery and improvement of therapeutic molecules. Thiolactone chemistry provides a powerful tool to prepare albumin-based multimodal constructions. The released sulfhydryl groups of the homocysteine functional handle in thiolactone modified HSA were labeled with BODIPY dye to prepare a labeled albumin-BODIPY dye conjugate confirmed by MALDI-TOF-MS, UV-vis, and fluorescent emission spectra. Cytotoxicity of the resulting conjugate was investigated. This study is the basis for a novel BODIPY dye-albumin theranostic for BNCT. The results provide further impetus to develop derivatives of HSA for delivery of boron to cancer cells.     

Synthesis of fluorescent probes based on stilbenes and diphenylacetylenes targeting β-amyloid plaques

Three fluorescent probes were synthesized aiming for optical imaging to detect amyloid plaques present in the patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These compounds were prepared via Sonogashira coupling of a well-defined fluorophore (4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene, BODIPY) with the pharmacophore possessing either a stilbene or a diphenylacetylene moiety. Different polyethylene glycol chain lengths were used as linkers between the fluorophore and the pharmacophore to adjust the lipophilicity of these probes. These compounds exhibit strong fluorescence emission between 665 and 680 nm and have very high extinction coefficients comparable to the parent fluorophore, BODIPY dye.     

Quantified High-Throughput Screening of Escherichia coli Producing Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) Based on FACS

Here, we report on a highly sensitive method for the detection of P(3HB) accumulation in Escherichia coli cells based on the automated flow cytometry system using fluorescent dyes. E. coli containing P(3HB) were stained with either BODIPY or Nile red fluorescent dye, and their staining properties were analyzed under a variety of conditions. Compared with Nile red, BODIPY was much more sensitive in staining P(3HB) and overall demonstrated a more rapid staining of cells, a greater resistance to photobleaching, and greater cell viability. In addition, we also successfully monitored heterogeneity in P(3HB) accumulation within a cell population using BODIPY staining and flow cytometry. We believe this optimized staining method using BODIPY in combination with screening by high-speed flow cytometer will be helpful in the engineering of host cells toward an enhanced production of bioplastics.     

Two π-Electrons Make the Difference: From BODIPY to BODIIM Switchable Fluorescent Dyes

(aza-)BODIPY dyes (boron dipyrromethene dyes) are well-established fluorophores due to their large quantum yields, stability, and diversity, which led to promising applications including imaging techniques, sensors, organic (opto)electronic materials, or biomedical applications. Although the control of the optical properties in (aza-)BODIPY dyes by peripheral functional groups is well studied, we herein present a novel approach to modify the 12 π-electron core of the dipyrromethene scaffold. The replacement of two carbon atoms in the β-position of a BODIPY dye by two nitrogen atoms afforded a 14 π-electron system, which was termed BODIIM (boron diimidazolylmethene) in systematic analogy to the BODIPY dyes. Remarkably, the BODIIM dye was obtained with a BH₂-rigidifying entity, which is currently elusive and highly sought after for the BODIPY dye class. DFT-Calculations confirm the [12+2] π-electron relationship between BODIPY and BODIIM and reveal a strong shape correlation between LUMO in the BODIPY and the HOMO of the BODIIM. The modification of the π-system leads to a dramatic shift of the optical properties, of which the fluorescent emission is most noteworthy and occurs at much larger Stokes shift, that is, ≈500 cm⁻¹ in BODIPY versus >4170 cm⁻¹ in BODIIM system in all solvents investigated. Nucleophilic reactivity was found at the meso-carbon atom in the formation of stable borane adducts with a significant shift of the fluorescent emission, and this behavior contrasts the reactivity of conventional BODIPY systems. In addition, the reverse decomplexation of the borane adducts was demonstrated in reactions with a representative N-heterocyclic carbene to retain the strongly fluorescent BODIIM compound, which suggests applications as fully reversible fluorescent switch.     

Application of meso-CF3-Fluorophore BODIPY with Phenyl and Pyrazolyl Substituents for Lifetime Visualization of Lysosomes

A bright far-red emitting unsymmetrical meso-CF₃-BODIPY fluorescent dye with phenyl and pyrazolyl substituents was synthesized by condensation of trifluoropyrrolylethanol with pyrazolyl-pyrrole, with subsequent oxidation and complexation of the formed dipyrromethane. This BODIPY dye exhibits optical absorption at λ_ab ≈ 610–620 nm and emission at λ_em ≈ 640–650 nm. The BODIPY was studied on Ehrlich carcinoma cells as a lysosome-specific fluorescent dye that allows intravital staining of cell structures with subsequent real-time monitoring of changes occurring in the cells. It was also shown that the rate of uptake by cells, the rate of intracellular transport into lysosomes, and the rate of saturation of cells with the dye depend on its concentration in the culture medium. A concentration of 5 μM was chosen as the most suitable BODIPY concentration for fluorescent staining of living cell lysosomes, while a concentration of 100 μM was found to be toxic to Ehrlich carcinoma cells.     

Synthesis of π-expanded O-chelated boron-dipyrromethene as an NIR dye

A π-expanded BODIPY dye with an intramolecular boronate skeleton was synthesized by retro Diels-Alder reaction of the bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene (BCOD)-fused BODIPY and the subsequent O-chelation. The photophysical and electrochemical properties were examined by UV-vis, fluorescence, CV measurements, and DFT calculation. This BODIPY exhibited the absorption and emission over a visible-NIR region at 600-850 nm. O-chelated BODIPY showed a bathocromic shift compared to F-BODIPYs. This dye showed a bright fluorescence emission at 733 nm with the high Φ value of 0.58.     

Systematic Modulation of the Fluorescence Brightness in Boron‐Dipyrromethene (BODIPY)‐Tagged N‐Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC)–Gold–Thiolates

Five different highly fluorescent boron‐dipyrromethene (BODIPY)‐tagged N‐heterocyclic carbene NHC–gold halide complexes were synthesized. The substitution of the halogeno ligand by 4‐substituted aryl thiolates leads to a decrease in the brightness of the complexes. This decrease depends on the electronic nature of the thiols, being most pronounced with highly electron‐rich thiols (4‐R=NMe₂). The brightness of the gold thiolates also depends on the distance between the sulfur atom and the BODIPY moiety. The systematic variation of the electron density of [(NHC–bodipy)Au(SC₆H₄R)] (via different R groups) enables the systematic variation of the fluorescence brightness of an appended BODIPY fluorophore. Based on this and supported by DFT calculations, a photoinduced electron‐transfer quenching appears to be the dominant mechanism controlling the brightness of the appended BODIPY dye.     

4,4-Difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene as a bright fluorescent label for DNA

4,4-Difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) as a fluorescent label can be incorporated into DNA by two conceptually different ways: the non-nucleosidic DNA base surrogate Bo exhibits high brightness but no preferential base-pairing properties, whereas the BODIPY-modified uridine BodU has reduced quantum yields but shows preferred Watson-Crick base pairing with adenine.     

Tuning the optical properties of BODIPY dye through Cu(I) catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction

Borondipyrromethenes(BODIPY) are a class of fluorescent dyes whose fluorescence quantum yields are generally high and independent of the solvent.In this paper,we report the synthesis of a new type of BODIPY compound that carries an azido group on the 3-position of the pyrrole core.The azido group quenches the fluorescence of the dye due to its weak electron-donating effect.The fluorescence of the BODIPY dye can be switched on after reacting with alkynes via a Cu(Ⅰ) catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition(CuAAC) reaction.We further demonstrate that this azido-BODIPY compound can be used in the cell imaging applications.     

氟硼二吡咯类pH荧光探针PET光谱特性的理论计算

氟硼二吡咯(BODIPY)类pH荧光探针分子是基于光诱导电子转移(PET)的荧光探针分子, 识别基团氮原子上引入不同取代基可呈现不同的光学灵敏度. 本文应用密度泛函理论(DFT)及含时密度泛函理论(TD-DFT)方法对六种含不同取代基的探针分子进行了几何构型优化及激发态计算, 探讨了不同取代基对PET效应影响. 计算结果表明: 基态时这些探针分子的最高占有分子轨道(HOMO)和最低未占有分子轨道(LUMO)都在荧光母体BODIPY的π, π^*轨道, 而识别基团上氮原子孤对电子所在的轨道为HOMO-1轨道. 但是在激发态, 当氮原子上有两个取代基时, HOMO-1→LUMO跃迁的激发能都小于荧光团的HOMO→LUMO跃迁, 这将有可能产生PET效应并导致荧光熄灭, 而当氮原子上有一个取代基时不会出现这种现象. 通过激发态结构优化可以发现, 无论识别基团氮原子上有一个还是两个取代基, N原子的轨道对称性都发生变化, 由sp³→sp², 孤对电子占据在p轨道上, 其轨道能级升高至荧光团的HOMO和LUMO轨道之间, 将导致不同程度的PET效应, 与实验结果一致.     

Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe Based on Novel Red-emission BODIPY for Determination of Bovine Serum Albumin

A novel red-emission boron-dipyrromethene（BODIPY） dye with a pyrrole ring was synthesized simply via one-pot reaction. The spectral properties of it were investigated under the conditions of different solvents. The results show that the as-prepared BODIPY dye is extremely sensitive to solvent polarity, and the fluorescent emission enhances with the decrease of solvent polarity. In aqueous buffer, the addition of bovine serum albumin leads to a ratiometric change in absorption spectra with an association constant of 1.16×10^6 L/mol. Meanwhile, the fluorescence emission increases greatly at 622 nm but changes slightly at 575 nm. The response time is very short（less than 3 min）, and the changes of color can be noticed by naked eyes. Bovine serum albumin can be detected by this ratiometric fluorescence probe, but other proteins or enzymes cannot be detected by this method, which indicates that this novel dye has high selectivity towards bovine serum albumin. The reason is that bovine serum albumin has suitable hydro- phobic cavities for binding with the dye. In addition, the dye molecule can penetrate cell membrane easily and make a fast fluorescent stain, which makes it a potential probe for living-cell fluorescence imaging.     

Synthesis and studies of covalently linked meso-furyl boron-dipyrromethene-ferrocene conjugates

Four meso-furyl BODIPY-ferrocene conjugates 1–4 in which one or more ferrocene groups were connected directly to BODIPY core or meso-furyl group were synthesized by coupling of appropriate bromo meso-furyl BODIPYs with α-ethynylferrocene under mild Pd(0) coupling conditions. The compounds were characterized by HR-MS mass, NMR, absorption, electrochemistry and fluorescence techniques. The absorption studies of compounds 1–4 showed charge transfer band in addition to BODIPY absorption bands indicating that the BODIPY and ferrocene moieties interact within the conjugates. On the other hand, the charge transfer band is absent in meso-phenyl BODIPY-ferrocene conjugate due to the orthogonal arrangement of ferrocene appended meso-phenyl group with BODIPY core which prevents the interaction between the two moieties. The electrochemical studies showed strong oxidation due to ferrocene moiety and reduction due to meso-furyl BODIPY unit. The compounds 3 and 4 which contain two and three ferrocenyl groups respectively were oxidized at the same potential with two and three electrons involved in the redox process. The compounds 1–4 are weakly fluorescent due to electron transfer from ferrocene unit to BODIPY unit. However, the fluorescence can be restored by oxidizing the ferrocene to ferrocenium ion which prevents the electron transfer between the two moieties. The computational studies support the experimental results.     

A Galactosidase-Activatable Fluorescent Probe for Detection of Bacteria Based on BODIPY

Pathogenic E. coli infection is one of the most widespread foodborne diseases, so the development of sensitive, reliable and easy operating detection tests is a key issue for food safety. Identifying bacteria with a fluorescent medium is more sensitive and faster than using chromogenic media. This study designed and synthesized a β-galactosidase-activatable fluorescent probe BOD-Gal for the sensitive detection of E. coli. It employed a biocompatible and photostable 4,4-difluoro-3a,4a-diaza-s-indancene (BODIPY) as the fluorophore to form a β-O-glycosidic bond with galactose, allowing the BOD-Gal to show significant on-off fluorescent signals for in vitro and in vivo bacterial detection. This work shows the potential for the use of a BODIPY based enzyme substrate for pathogen detection.     

基于新型不对称BODIPY的GSH荧光探针

本文通过在BODIPY母体中引入丙二腈,设计合成了一个新型不对称BODIPY荧光染料CN-B-Cl。由于丙二腈强吸电作用,荧光染料CN-B-Cl具有优异的化学活性,能够与含巯基的化合物在buffer体系中迅速发生芳香亲核取代反应;与GSH反应生成硫取代BODIPY,而与Cys/Hcy反应生成氮取代BODIPY。根据不同取代基BODIPY化合物发光性能的不同,该荧光探针可选择性区分GSH与Cys/Hcy。     

Thiol-reactive dyes for fluorescence labeling of proteomic samples

Covalent derivatization of proteins with fluorescent dyes prior to separation is increasingly used in proteomic research. This paper examines the properties of several commercially available iodoacetamide and maleimide dyes and discusses the conditions and caveats for their use in labeling of proteomic samples. The iodoacetamide dyes BODIPY TMR cadaverine IA and BODIPY Fl C(1)-IA were highly specific for cysteine residues and showed little or no nonspecific labeling even at very high dye:thiol ratios. These dyes also showed minimal effects on pI's of standard proteins. Some iodoacetamide dyes, (5-TMRIA and eosin-5-iodoacetamide) and some maleimide dyes (ThioGlo I and Rhodamine Red C(2) maleimide) exhibited nonspecific labeling at high dye:thiol ratios. Labeling by both iodoacetamide and maleimide dyes was inhibited by tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP); interactions between TCEP and dye were also observed. Thiourea, an important component of sample solubilization cocktails, inhibited labeling of proteins with iodoacetamide dyes but not with maleimide dyes. Maleimide dyes may serve as an alternative for labeling proteins where it is essential to have thiourea in the solubilization buffer. Covalent derivatization by BODIPY TMR cadaverine IA, BODIPY Fl C(1)-IA or Rhodamine Red C(2) maleimide was also demonstrated to be compatible with in-gel digestion and peptide mass fingerprinting by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry and allowed successful protein identification.     

Preparation of an IMI dye (imidazole functional group) containing a 4-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole fluorophore for labeling of phosphomonoesters

We are studying dye-imidazole conjugates ("IMI dyes") as reagents for labeling phosphomonoesters such as nucleotides. Previously we have employed a BODIPY dye in our IMI reagents, and analyzed the labeled products by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection (CE-LIF) involving an argon ion laser. (The BODIPY fluorophore is a 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene). Here we broaden the technology by preparing a DBD-IMI dye [DBD = 4-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole], and using a helium-cadmium laser. While DBD-IMI (IMI3) is about 50x more stable photolytically than a BODIPY-IMI dye (IMI2, a conjugate of a BODIPY dye with histamine, was tested), the detection limit for IMI2 (5.10(-11) M; S/N = 5, CE-LIF with an argon ion laser) is tenfold better than that for IMI3 (5.10(-10) M, S/N = 5, helium-cadmium laser). IMI3 conjugates of the four major DNA nucleotides were prepared and detected by CE-LIF.     

BODIPY: A Highly Versatile Platform for the Design of Bimodal Imaging Probes

In molecular imaging, multimodal imaging agents can provide complementary information, for improving the accuracy of disease diagnosis or enhancing patient management. In particular, optical/nuclear imaging may find important preclinical and clinical applications. To simplify the preparation of dual‐labeled imaging agents, we prepared versatile monomolecular multimodal imaging probe (MOMIP) platforms containing both a fluorescent dye (BODIPY) and a metal chelator (polyazamacrocycle). One of the MOMIP was conjugated to a cyclopeptide (i.e., octreotide) and radiolabeled with ¹¹¹In. In vitro and in vivo studies of the resulting bioconjugate were conducted, highlighting the potential of these BODIPY‐based bimodal probes. This work also confirmed that the biovector and/or the bimodal probes must be chosen carefully, due to the impact of the MOMIP on the overall properties of the resulting imaging agent.     

含稠合外环的氟硼荧染料类pH荧光探针的研究

以环己醇为起始原料,首先经过改进的三步法制备出2-乙氧羰基-3,4-四亚甲基吡咯,并用过量氢化铝锂高温还原得到2-甲基-3,4-四亚甲基吡咯;再将其分别与4-二甲氨基苯甲醛、4-羟基苯甲醛、4-甲氧基苯甲醛、苯甲醛、4-醛基苯并冠-5等芳醛衍生物在三氟乙酸的催化作用下发生缩合反应,用2,3-二氯-5,6-二氰基-1,4-苯醌(DDQ)氧化并依次用N(Et)3和BF3.OEt2处理后得到5种新型含稠合外环的BODIPY类染料衍生物。研究了它们的吸收和发射光谱,并采用荧光光谱滴定方法研究了它们在CH3OH-H2O(1∶1,V/V)中对pH的响应能力。结果表明:BODIPY 1和2在可见光激发下,可以分别作为酸、碱环境下的pH荧光探针并且这两种荧光探针在荧光"开/关"状态之间的转化可以通过质子化和去质子化的方式调控。另外,还初步探讨了荧光探针的设计原理及传感机制。     

An Optically and Thermally Switchable Electronic Structure Based on an Anthracene–BODIPY Conjugate

An optically and thermally responsive boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) dye, namely, meso‐2‐(9,10‐dihydro‐9,10‐ethanoanthracene‐11,12‐dione) (DK)‐linked, bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene (BCOD)‐fused BODIPY ( BCOD‐DK ), was synthesized. The weakly luminous structure of BCOD‐DK can be changed quantitatively to that of the strongly fluorescent BODIPY BCOD‐Ant by optical excitation at the DK unit, which induces double decarbonylation of the DK unit to give an anthracene unit. The solvent effect on the fluorescence properties of BCOD‐DK suggests that the dramatic change in fluorescence intensity is controlled by intramolecular electron transfer from the BODIPY moiety to the meso‐DK substituent. BCOD‐DK is converted to meso‐ DK benzene‐fused BODIPY ( Benzo‐DK ) by heating at 220 °C with 64–70 nm redshift of absorption and fluorescence peaks without changing the fluorescence quantum yield of Φ_F=0.08 in dichloromethane. Benzo‐DK can be converted to strongly fluorescent meso ‐ anthracene benzene‐fused BODIPY Benzo‐Ant by optical excitation. Thus, BCOD‐DK can show four different optical performances simply by irradiation and heating, and hence may be applicable for optical data storage and security data encryption.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Far‐Red/NIR‐Fluorescent BODIPY Dyes,Solid‐State Fluorescence,and Application as Fluorescent Tags Attached to Carbon Nano‐onions

A series of π‐extended distyryl‐substituted boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivatives with intense far‐red/near‐infrared (NIR) fluorescence was synthesized and characterized, with a view to enhance the dye’s performance for fluorescence labeling. An enhanced brightness was achieved by the introduction of two methyl substituents in the meso positions on the phenyl group of the BODIPY molecule; these substituents resulted in increased structural rigidity. Solid‐state fluorescence was observed for one of the distyryl‐substituted BODIPY derivatives. The introduction of a terminal bromo substituent allows for the subsequent immobilization of the BODIPY fluorophore on the surface of carbon nano‐onions (CNOs), which leads to potential imaging agents for biological and biomedical applications. The far‐red/NIR‐fluorescent CNO nanoparticles were characterized by absorption, fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopies, as well as by thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic light scattering, high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy, and confocal microscopy.