Binding of Fluorescein Isothiocyanate to Insulin: A Fluorimetric Labeling Study

The determination of the fluorophore to the protein molar ratio has been studied using fluorescence spectroscopy. The tyrosine fluorescence is measured from insulin (Ins) solutions at wavelengths lambda(ex)/lambda(em) = 276/300 nm and from fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) solutions at lambda(em)/lambda(em) = 494/518 nm. Series of solutions prepared from insulin and FITC are tested for conjugation, recording their fluorimetric intensities. Fluorimetric titrations with different formal concentrations are followed either by intrinsic and extrinsic emission intensities at lambda(ex)/lambda(em) = 276 or 494/518 nm and by their typical emission spectra at pH 9.0. All results denoted a binding ratio of 3 moles of FITC/mole of Ins.     

Antifading embedding media in confocal immunoflourescence microscopy

Fading or bleaching of fluorescence intensity during continuous illumination of stained objects is a serious problem in fluorescence microscopy. Fluorescence intensity as well as bleaching characteristics of dyes are dependent primarily upon physical parameters such as molecular constants (absorption rate and quantum efficiency), excitation energy and brightness (causes photon saturation), and environmental parameters (pH, ions, binding to proteins, etc.) that can strongly influence the properties of fluorochrome molecules. We have studied the effect of various antifading reagents on the behavior of the common dyes fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and phycoerythrin (PE) using immunofluorescent-stained living cells in suspension or membrane-permeabilized dried cells as test systems. As expected, fading cannot be completely eliminated but may be reduced to varying degrees. In our hands, the most efficient antifading reagent for FITC isn-propyl gallate (NPG) dissolved in glycerol. No additive was found to retard fading, but complete dehydration of the cell suspension reduces this effect.     

A Photostable, pH-Invariant Fluorescein Derivative for Single-Molecule Microscopy

We herein report the comprehensive characterization of the spectral and single-photon fluorescence properties of a recently synthesized fluorescein derivative and its biotinylated analog. The fluorophore displays significant increases in photostability compared to the known fluorescein label fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), as well as superb pH independence. This fluorescein variant has two readily accessible functional groups (aniline NH₂ and phenol OH) that can be activated or blocked independently and can serve, for instance, as a fluorescent bridge between two different recognition motifs. Excellent single-photon counting fluorescence data demonstrates that it is also a particularly appropriate probe for single-molecule studies of biological interactions.     

Synthesis and Identification of Biologically Active Mono-Labelled FITC-Insulin Conjugate

Fluorescently labelling proteins such as insulin have wide ranging applications in a pharmaceutical research and drug delivery. Human insulin (Actrapid®) was labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and the synthesised conjugate identified using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) on a C18 column and a gradient method with mobile phase A containing 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in Millipore water and mobile phase B containing 90% Acetonitrile, 10% Millipore water and 0.1% TFA. Syntheses were carried out at varying reaction times between 4 and 20 h. Mono-labelled FITC-insulin conjugate was successfully synthesised with labelling at the B1 position on the insulin chain using a molar ratio of 2:1 (FITC:insulin) at a reaction time of 18 h and confirmed by electrospray mass spectroscopy. Reactions were studied across a pH range of 7–9.8 and the quantities switch from mono-labelled to di-labelled FITC-insulin conjugates at a reaction time of 2 h (2:1 molar ratio) at pH?>?8. The conjugates isolated from the studies had biological activities in comparison to native insulin of 99.5% monoB1, 78% monoA1, 51% diA1B1 and 0.06% triA1B1B29 in HUVEC cells by examining AKT phosphorylation levels. MonoB1 FITC-insulin conjugate was also compared to native insulin by examining cell surface GLUT4 in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. No significant difference in the cellular response was observed for monoB1 produced in-house compared to native insulin. Therefore mono-labelled FITC-insulin at the B1 position showed similar biological activity as native insulin and can potentially be used for future biomedical applications.

     

Highly Sensitive Detection of Residual Chlorpromazine Hydrochloride with Solid Substrate Room Temperature Phosphorimetry

Under the condition of 60?°C and 20?min at pH 6.12, chlorpromazine hydrochloride (CPZ) could react with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) to produce FITC-CPZ, which increased the π-electron density (δ) of carbon atom in FITC conjugated system and the room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) intensity of FITC. Thus, a new solid substrate room temperature phosphorimetry (SSRTP) for the determination of residual CPZ was established. The regression equation of working curve was ΔI (p)?=?4.254?+?7.906 m(CPZ) (ag spot(-1)) with the correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9990 in the range of 0.036-9.6 ag spot(-1) (corresponding concentration: 0.090-24?fg?ml(-1), sample volume: 0.40?μl spot(-1)), and the detection limit (LD) was 0.018 ag spot(-1) (corresponding concentration: 4.5?×?10(-17)?g?ml(-1)). This method with wide linear range and high sensitivity was not only used to diagnose human disease based on the correlation between the residual quantity and lethal dose of CPZ in human serum, but also used to determine residual CPZ in biological samples with the results consisting with those obtained by gas chromatography (GC), showing good accuracy. The constituent of FITC-CPZ was analyzed by GC-MS (mass spectrometry) and the reaction mechanism of SSRTP for the determination of trace CPZ was also discussed.     

A Method for In Vitro Measurement of Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein in Blood,Using Its Antibody,Fluorescence-Labeled Heptapeptide and Polyethylene Glycol

Two oxidized forms of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), oxidized (Ox-LDL) and minimally modified (MM-LDL), and the immune complexes (LDL-ICs) that they form with their corresponding antibodies, play a major role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Recently, we reported that the heptapeptide KP6 (Lys-Trp-Tyr-Lys-Asp-Gly-Asp) coupled through its ε-amino group present on the N-terminal Lys to fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)— (FITC)KP6— binds specifically to Ox-LDL and MM-LDL, but not to native LDL. Here, to develop a novel method for measuring the levels of oxidatively modified LDL in blood, using (FITC)KP6, we analyzed the latter’s binding with MM-LDL-IC and Ox-LDL-IC. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis revealed that (FITC)KP6 could efficiently and specifically bind to polyethylene glycol (PEG)-precipitated MM-LDL-IC and Ox-LDL-IC in a dose-dependent manner with high sensitivity in plasma and serum. Our results indicate that the above method for measuring the levels of PEG-precipitated, oxidatively modified LDL-ICs, formed by the addition of anti-Ox-LDL antibody to blood, using (FITC)KP6, can aid the diagnosis of atherosclerosis.     

High-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and dI/dV map studies of peptidenucleic acid and fluorescein isothiocyanate

We used scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to spatially map the local density of states of individual PNA molecules labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) on a Cu(1 1 1) surface. From the observed bias voltage dependences of the topographic height and the dI/dV map of FITC and individual PNA molecules, we confirmed that FITC and PNA have different electrical properties. We clearly differentiated the FITC and PNA molecules by mapping the density of states feature. This study shows that STM with the dI/dV map method is useful in FITC mapping.     

Accurate Sensitivity of Quantum Dots for Detection of HER2 Expression in Breast Cancer Cells and Tissues

Here we introduce novel optical properties and accurate sensitivity of Quantum dot (QD)-based detection system for tracking the breast cancer marker, HER2. QD525 was used to detect HER2 using home-made HER2-specific monoclonal antibodies in fixed and living HER2⁺ SKBR-3 cell line and breast cancer tissues. Additionally, we compared fluorescence intensity (FI), photostability and staining index (SI) of QD525 signals at different exposure times and two excitation wavelengths with those of the conventional organic dye, FITC. Labeling signals of QD525 in both fixed and living breast cancer cells and tissue preparations were found to be significantly higher than those of FITC at 460–495 nm excitation wavelengths. Interestingly, when excited at 330–385 nm, the superiority of QD525 was more highlighted with at least 4–5 fold higher FI and SI compared to FITC. Moreover, QDs exhibited exceptional photostability during continuous illumination of cancerous cells and tissues, while FITC signal faded very quickly. QDs can be used as sensitive reporters for in situ detection of tumor markers which in turn could be viewed as a novel approach for early detection of cancers. To take comprehensive advantage of QDs, it is necessary that their optimal excitation wavelength is employed.     

光纤与生物分子界面上固定FITC标记抗体的荧光光谱

采用化学方法把FITC标记羊抗人抗体IgG共价固定到三氨基三乙氧基硅烷和戊二醛(APTES-Glu)修饰的石英光纤纤芯表面。通过研究未经过任何修饰的纤芯表面的吸附以及共价固定的FITC标记羊抗人抗体的荧光光谱性质发现:共价结合到纤芯表面的FITC荧光光谱相对于溶液中FITC的荧光峰位红移约9nm,而物理吸附的FITC的荧光峰位移动约4nm,而且两者相对荧光强度相差6倍。而在固定的人血清蛋白进行免疫反应后,FITC的荧光峰位只移动3～4nm,除此之外,研究了抗体共价键固定的稳定性问题。结果表明:共价键结合抗体的数量要大于表面吸附,共价键固定的FITC标记羊抗人抗体与光纤表面间的相互作用较吸附于光纤表面的FITC标记羊抗人抗体间的相互作用更强。这对于建立一种通过荧光光谱识别固体表面与生物分子的吸附还是共价结合的判据提供了物理基础。     

Detection of protein molecules by surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy‐based immunoassay using 2–5 nm gold nanoparticle lables

Here we report the synthesis of 2–5 nm size gold nanoparticle labels for surface‐enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) based immunoassay to detect protein molecules. The Au nanoparticles were conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and goat anti‐h‐IgG (immunoglobin) and the resultant particles were used for the detection of h‐IgG. Commercially available nitrocellulose strip and silver enhancement method were used for SERS‐based immunoassays. The FITC acts as a Raman probe, and vibrational fingerprint of this molecule was used for the detection of h‐IgG in concentration ranging from 1 to 100 ng/µl. Our Raman probe is robust and small in size and has high water solubility with minimum steric effect during antigen–antibody binding. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improved fluorescent assay sensitivity using silver island films: Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled albumin as an example

We have studied enhancement of the fluorescence of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), bound to albumin and near an annealed silver island film, as a function of the distance between the protein molecules and the metal. As the intermediate spacer layer between the albumin and the silver substrate, we used multilayer films based on polyelectrolytes. The maximum nine-fold enhancement coefficient for the fluorescence of FITC corresponds to a thickness of the intermediate layer of ≈4 nm, or three layers of the polyelectrolyte. In this case, we observe a significant decrease in the average photoluminescence decay time for the label near the silver film compared with a dielectric medium. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 73, No. 6, pp. 797–800, November–December, 2006.     

Protein adsorption drastically reduces surface‐enhanced Raman signal of dye molecules

There is an increasing interest in developing surface enhancement Raman spectroscopy methods for intracellular biomolecule and for in vitro protein detection that involve dye or protein–dye conjugates. In this work, we have demonstrated that protein adsorption on silver nanoparticle (AgNP) can significantly attenuate the surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) signal of dye molecules in both protein/dye mixtures and protein/dye conjugates. SERS spectra of 12 protein/dye mixtures were acquired using 4 proteins [bovine serum albumin (BSA), lysozyme, trypsin, and concanavalin A] and three dyes [Rhodamine 6G, adenine, and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)]. Besides the protein/dye mixtures, spectra were also obtained for the free dyes and four FITC‐conjugated proteins. While no SERS signal was observed in protein/FITC mixtures or conjugates, a significantly reduced SERS intensity (up to 3 orders of magnitude) was observed for both R6G and adenine in their respective protein mixtures. Quantitative estimation of the number of dye molecules absorbed onto AgNP implied that the degree of R6G SERS signal reduction in the R6G/BSA sample is 2 to 3 orders of magnitude higher than what could be accounted for by the difference in the amount of the absorbed dyes. This finding has significant implications for both intracellular SERS analyses and in vitro protein detection using SERS tagging strategies that rely on Raman dyes as reporter molecules. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Studies of Fluorescence Immunosensor Using Eggshell Membrane as Immobilization Matrix

A novel immunosensor using eggshell membrane for determining the human immunoglobulin M (HIgM) in serum was developed. The immunosensor was fabricated by immobilizing goat anti-human IgM antibody on the eggshell membrane with glutaraldehyde. Based on the immunoreactions of goat anti-human IgM (primary antibody), HIgM (target antigen) and the goat anti-human IgM (secondary antibody), the sandwich complex were formed on the eggshell membrane and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeling secondary antibody could be employed to detect the target antigen. Under the optimized conditions, the linear range for determining HIgM is 5-60 ng mL(-1) and the detection limit is 4.3 ng mL(-1), which are comparable with the results obtained by general immunonephelometric method. Meanwhile, this proposed sensor also exhibited remarkable storage stability, permeability and highly biocompatibility. The effects of temperature and pH value on eggshell membrane were investigated. Therefore, the proposed immunosensor, by using eggshell membrane as immobilization platform of antibody, offers an excellent fluorescence response to HIgM. The immunosesor provided a new alternative to determine antigens and other bioactive molecules.     

Glucose-Sensitive Nanoassemblies Comprising Affinity-Binding Complexes Trapped in Fuzzy Microshells

A new design for glucose monitoring with "smart" materials based on self assembly, competitive binding, and resonance energy transfer (RET) is presented. The basic transduction principle is changing RET efficiency from fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) to tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate (TRITC), as FITC-dextran is displaced from TRITC-Concanavalin A (Con A) with the addition of glucose. Nanoscale fabrication by self-assembly of Con A/dextran into multilayer films, followed by polymer multilayers. The advantages of this approach include physical localization and separation of sensing molecules from the environment via entrapment of the biosensorelements in a semi-permeable polymeric shell, and only functional molecules are included in the sensors. To realize these nanostructures, dissolvable resin microparticles were coated with FITC-dextran+TRITC-Con A multilayers, followed by polyelectrolyte multilayers, and the core particles were then dissolved to yield hollow capsules. The nanoassembly process was studied using microbalance mass measurements, fluorescence spectroscopy, confocal fluorescence microscopy, and zeta-potential measurements. The key findings are that the specific binding between Con A and dextran can be used to deposit ultrathin multilayer films, and these exhibit changing RET in response to glucose. Fluorescence spectra of a microcapsules exhibited a linear, glucose-specific, 27% increase in the relative fluorescence of FITC over the 0-1800 mg/dL range. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of using self-assembled microcapsules as optical glucose sensors, and serve as a basis for work toward better understanding the properties of these novel materials.     

荧光光谱成像在生物芯片蛋白量化分析中的应用研究

采用荧光光谱成像并结合椭圆偏振技术研究了３-氨基３-乙氧基硅烷(APTES)修饰及其与戊二醛(APTES-Glu)共同修饰的两种不同表面上固定的羊抗人抗体活性和数量及其荧光免疫结合。研究结果表明：应用荧光光谱成像在APTES-Glu表面上检测到的FITC标记人血清蛋白分子的数量为APTES表面结合的2.8倍,而应用椭圆偏振技术在前者表面上检测到的FITC标记人血清蛋白分子的数量为后者表面上的2.2倍。这个结果说明：在荧光免疫检测中,荧光光谱成像完全可用于分析不同表面固定蛋白的免疫活性和半定量的检测。     

Cavitation-facilitated transmembrane permeability enhancement induced by acoustically vaporized nanodroplets

Ultrasound-facilitated transmembrane permeability enhancement has attracted broad attention in the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases, by delivering gene/drugs into the deep site of brain tissues with a safer and more effective way. Although the feasibility of using acoustically vaporized nanodroplets to open the blood–brain-barrier (BBB) has previously been reported, the relevant physical mechanisms and impact factors are not well known. In the current study, a nitrocellulose (NC) membrane was used to mimic the multi-layered pore structure of BBB. The cavitation activity and the penetration ability of phase-changed nanodroplets were systemically evaluated at different concentration levels, and compared with the results obtained for SonoVue microbubbles. Passive cavitation detection showed that less intensified but more sustained inertial cavitation (IC) activity would be generated by vaporized nanodroplets than microbubbles. As the results, with a sufficiently high concentration (∼5 × 10⁸/mL), phase-changed nanodroplets were more effective than microbubbles in enabling a fluorescent tracer agent (FITC, 150 kDa) to penetrate deeper and more homogeneously through the NC membrane, and a positive correlation was observed between accumulated IC dose and the amount of penetrated FITC. In vivo studies further confirmed acoustically vaporized nanodroplets performed better than microbubbles by opening the BBB in rats’ brains. These results indicated that phase-changed nanodroplets can be used as a safe, efficient and durable agent to achieve satisfactory cavitation-mediated permeability enhancement effect in biomedical applications.     

Synthesis of amino-group functionalized superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and applications as biomedical labeling probes

Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles were synthesized by coprecipitation technique and further functionalized with amino-group to obtain amino-group functionalized (amino-SPIO) nanoparticles. The X-ray diffraction results reveal the structure of amino-SPIO nanoparticles, from which the average iron core diameter is approximately 10 nm by calculation; while Zetasizer reveals their hydrodynamic diameter are mainly distributed in the range of 40?C60 nm. These nanoparticles can be taken up by liver tissue, resulting in dramatically darkening of liver tissue under T2-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The spin?Cspin relaxivity coefficient of these nanoparticles is 179.20 mM^?1 s^?1 in a 1.5 T magnetic resonance system. In addition, amino-SPIO nanoparticles were conjugated to Tat (FITC) peptide and incubated with neural stem cells in vitro, the authors can detect the positive-labeling (labeled) neural stem cells showing green fluorescence, which indicates Tat (FITC) peptide-derivated amino-SPIO nanoparticles are able to enter cells. Furthermore, it was also find significant negative T2 contrast enhancement when compared with the non-nanoparticles-labeled neural stem cells in T2-weighted MRI. The amino-SPIO nanoparticles show promising potential as a new type of labeling probes, which can be used in magnetic resonance-enhanced imaging and fluorescence diagnosis.     

The Synthesis of Magnetic and Fluorescent Bi-functional Silica Composite Nanoparticles via Reverse Microemulsion Method

In this paper, a simple synthesis method of small-size( about 50 nm in diameter), high magnetic and fluorescent bi-functional silica composite nanoparticles were developed, in which water-soluble Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticlels (MNs) and CdTe quantum dots (QDs) were directly incorporated into a silica shell by reverse microemulsion method. The high luminescent QDs can be used as luminescent marker, while the high magnetic MNs allow the manipulation of the bi-functional silica composite nanoparticles by external magnetic field. Poly (dimethyldiallyl ammonium chloride) was used to balance the electrostatic repulsion between CdTe QDs and silica intermediates to enhance the fluorescence intensity of MNs-QDs/SiO₂ composite nanoparticles. The optical property, magnetic property, size characterization of the bi-functional composite nanoparticles were studied by UV-Vis and PL emission spectra, VSM, TEM, SEM. The stabilities toward time, pH and ionic strength and the effect of MNs on the fluorescence properties of bi-functional silica composite nanoparticles were also studied in detail. By modifying the surface of MNs-QDs/SiO₂ composite nanoparticles with amino and methylphosphonate groups, biologically functionalized and monodisperse MNs-QDs/SiO₂composite nanoparticles can be obtained. In this work, bi-functional composite nanoparticles were conjugated with FITC labeled goat anti-rabbit IgG, to generate novel fluorescent-magnetic-biotargeting tri-functional composite nanoparticles, which can be used in a number of biomedical application.     

Toward an understanding of the fluorescence intensity changes observed on fluorescein 5′-Isothiocyanate-Na+,K+-ATPase

The fluorescence emission intensity between the Na⁺, and the K⁺ complex of Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase, labeled with fluorescein 5-isothiocyanate (FITC), differs by 30 to 40%. Experimental studies are carried out to elucidate the physical reasons which account this intensity difference. The dissociation constant of protolysis of the covalently bound FITC and its fluorescence decay times are determined in media of different ionic compositions and are compared with the corresponding properties of a synthetic model compound. The fluorophore bound to the protein is characterized by two decay times in the nanosecond range; the model compound, by a single one. The static fluorescence intensity changes are discussed on the basis of these results.This is a peer-reviewed conference proceeding article from the Third Conference on Methods and Applications of Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Prague, Czech Republic, October 18–21, 1993.     

控制纳米结构以调控氧化锌的发光、磁性和细胞毒性

氧化锌(ZnO) 纳米材料因其在UV 激光器、发光二极管、太阳能电池、稀磁半导体、生物荧光标示、靶向药物等领域中的广泛应用而成为最热门的研究课题之一. 调节和优化ZnO 纳米结构的性质是ZnO 的实际应用迫切所需. 在此, 通过发展聚乙烯吡咯烷酮导向结晶法、微波加热强制水解法、表面活性剂后处理法, 成功地制备出了尺寸、表面电荷或成分可调的球、半球、棒、管、T 型管、三脚架、片、齿轮、两层、多层、带盖罐子、碗等一系列ZnO 纳米结构. 通过简单地改变ZnO 纳米粒子的尺寸、形貌和表面电荷或成分, 有效地调控ZnO 本身的发光强度和位置, 并近90 倍地增强了荧光素染料的荧光强度; 诱使了强度可调的室温铁磁性; 实现了对ZnO纳米颗粒的细胞毒性的系统性调控.