A ratiometric luminescence probe for highly reactive oxygen species based on lanthanide complexes

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important mediators in a variety of pathological events, but the oxidative stress owing to excessive generation of ROS is implicated in many human diseases. In this work, we designed and synthesized a novel dual-functional chelating ligand, [4'-(p-aminophenoxy)methylene-2,2':6',2'-terpyridine-6,6'-diyl]bis(methylenenitrilo)tetrakis(acetic acid) (AMTTA), that can strongly coordinate with both Eu(3+) and Tb(3+) in aqueous solutions for the recognition and time-gated luminescence detection of highly ROS (hROS), hydroxyl radical ((?)OH), and hypochlorite (ClO(-)). The complexes AMTTA-Ln(3+) (Ln = Eu and Tb) are almost nonluminescent because of the photoinduced electron transfer from the electron-rich aminophenyl group to the terpyridine-Ln(3+) moiety but can rapidly react with hROS to afford highly luminescent complexes (4'-hydroxymethyl-2,2':6',2'-terpyridine-6,6'-diyl)bis(methylenenitrilo)tetrakis(acetate)-Ln(3+) (HTTA-Ln(3+)). Interestingly, when the AMTTA-Eu(3+)/Tb(3+) mixture (AMTTA/Eu(3+)/Tb(3+) = 2/1/1) was reacted with hROS, the intensity ratio of its Tb(3+) emission at 540 nm to its Eu(3+) emission at 610 nm, I(540)/I(610), showed a ratiometric response toward hROS, and the dose-dependent increase of the ratio displayed a double-exponential correlation to the concentration of hROS. This unique luminescence response allowed the AMTTA-Eu(3+)/Tb(3+) mixture to be used as a ratiometric probe for the time-gated luminescence detection of hROS.     

Synthesis and characterization of a new fluorescent probe for reactive oxygen species

We report the development of a new fluorescence sensor for reactive oxygen species (ROS) based on a benzofurazan structure. The sensor, NBFhd, is initially non-fluorescent and reacts with peroxyl radicals by hydrogen transfer in an aqueous medium under neutral conditions to release the fluorescent N-methyl-4-amino-7-nitrobenzofurazan (NBF) and 1,4-benzoquinone. NBFhd shows excellent contrast and no interference in the region of cell autofluorescence and is a new tool to detect ROS in homogeneous and biological systems.     

A novel small-molecule near-infrared II fluorescence probe for orthotopic osteosarcoma imaging

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant tumor of bone, particularly among children and adolescents. Advances in imaging, surgical techniques, and implants have dramatically reduced the need for amputation in the past three decades.Recently, in vivo fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared window(NIR-II, 1,000–1,700 nm) shows impressive advantages of deeper tissue penetration and higher spatial resolution, which makes it a promising tool for the early diagnosis and post-operative observation of Osteosarcoma. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first time to develop a novel NIR-II fluorescence probe conjugated with an osteosarcoma targeted oligopeptide for molecular tumor imaging in a xenograft orthotopic osteosarcoma mouse model.     

A selective near-infrared fluorescent probe for singlet oxygen in living cells

A selective near-infrared fluorescent probe (His-Cy), which features a fast response to (1)O(2) with high sensitivity and selectivity, was designed, synthesized and applied to bioimaging.     

A BODIPY-based reactive probe for ratiometric fluorescence sensing of mercury ions

A simple BODIPY derivative is demonstrated to fluorescently sense Hg²⁺ in a ratiometric manner. The probe, an 8-methylthio-BODIPY, undergoes Hg²⁺-promoted hydrolysis to produce the corresponding 8-hydroxy-BODIPY, which conversion is accompanied with a large emission wavelength change. The probe can selectively detect Hg²⁺ over various other metal cations, with a detection limit of 1 ppb.     

A charge transfer assisted fluorescent probe for selective detection of hydrogen peroxide among different reactive oxygen species

A charge transfer assisted fluorescent probe is synthesized which undergoes a change in fluorescence emission at two different wavelengths in the presence of hydrogen peroxide.     

A "reactive" ratiometric fluorescent probe for mercury species

A ratiometric fluorescent probe for mercury species is developed based on the metal-promoted hydrolysis of a vinyl ether derivative of 2-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenol in a buffer solution. The probe responds selectively to mercury species over various other metal ions with a marked fluorescence change from blue to cyan through the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process. The fluorescence titration is complete with 0.5 equiv of HgCl(2), which indicates that the probe also responds to organomercury species, RHgCl.     

A near-infrared reversible fluorescent probe for peroxynitrite and imaging of redox cycles in living cells

BzSe-Cy is a small-molecule fluorescent probe containing Se, which can respond reversibly to changes in ONOO(-) or reduced ascorbate and exhibit high sensitivity and selectivity for ONOO(-).     

High-throughput determination of glutathione and reactive oxygen species in single cells based on fluorescence images in a microchannel

A novel high-throughput method is presented based on fluorescence images of cells in a microchannel for determination of glutathione (GSH) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) inside single cells. We first present a method to determine GSH and ROS separately, in which GSH in cells is derivatized by 2,3-naphthalenedicarboxaldehyde (NDA), and intracellular ROS is labeled using dihydrorhodamine 123. The cells with either fluorescent derivatized GSH or fluorescent labeled ROS are introduced into a microchannel and fluorescence images of every moving cell in the microchannel are taken continuously using a highly sensitive thermoelectrically cooled electron-multiplying CCD. The fluorescence intensities of the images correspond to the masses of GSH or ROS. An average detection rate of 80-120 cells/min is achieved. We then propose a method for simultaneously determining GSH and ROS, in which ROS is first labeled in the cells. The labeled cells are then introduced into the whole channel and allowed to immobilize onto the glass substrate. The fluorescence images of all the cells in the channel are taken. NDA is then introduced into the channel to derivatize the GSH in the immobilized cells, and fluorescence images of all cells are taken again. An average analysis rate of 20 cells/min is achieved. The masses of GSH and ROS in the single cells can be obtained from the fluorescence intensities of the images using their calibration curves. Since the cells are not lysed, there is no problem with adsorption of biological macromolecules and cellular debris on the channel wall, so that channel treatment, necessary in usual single-cell analysis techniques using CE and microchip electrophoresis, is no longer necessary. For single global cells, this method can also be used to determine the concentrations of ROS and GSH, which has not been reported previously. The concentrations of ROS and GSH in single global cells can be calculated from the determined masses and the cell volume (derived from the diameter of the round fluorescence image of the derivatized GSH). For gastric cancer cells, the concentrations of GSH and ROS are in the range 0.35x10(-3)-1.3x10(-3) mol/L and 0.77x10(-) (6)-1.5x10(-6) mol/L, respectively.     

A near-infrared fluorescence probe for imaging of pantetheinase in cells and mice in vivo

Pantetheinase is an amidohydrolase that cleaves pantetheine into pantothenic acid and cysteamine. Functional studies have found that ubiquitous expression of this enzyme is associated with many inflammatory diseases. However, the lack of near-infrared fluorescence probes limits the better understanding of the functions of the enzyme. In this work, we have developed a new near-infrared fluorescence probe, CYLP, for bioimaging of pantetheinase by using pantothenic acid with a self-immolative linker as a recognition group. The probe produces a sensitive fluorescence off–on response at 710 nm to pantetheinase with a detection limit of 0.02 ng mL⁻¹ and can be used to image the intraperitoneal pantetheinase activity in mice in vivo. Moreover, with the probe we have observed that pantetheinase is significantly increased in the tissues of mouse inflammatory models as well as in the intestines of mice with inflammatory bowel disease. Therefore, CYLP may provide a convenient and intuitive tool for studying the role of pantetheinase in diseases.

A near-infrared fluorescence probe for detecting pantetheinase activity has been used for imaging pantetheinase in mice with inflammatory bowel disease.     

Recent advances in enhancing reactive oxygen species based chemodynamic therapy

Chemodynamic therapy(CDT), defined as an in situ oxidative stress response catalyzed by the Fenton or Fenton-like reactions to generate cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals(·OH) at tumor sites, exhibits conspicuous inhibition of tumor growth. It has attracted extensive attention for its outstanding edge in effectiveness,lower systemic toxicity and side effects, sustainability, low cost and convenience. However, the inconformity of harsh Fenton reaction conditions and tumor microenvironment hamper its fur...     

Determination of some reactive oxygen species scavengers based on the peroxidase-oxidase oscillator

This paper reports a new method for detection of ROS scavengers including superoxide dismutase, ascorbic acid and glutathione based on a 'probe' of peroxidase-oxidase biochemical oscillator. The oscillation period and amplitude change with different concentrations of scavengers. The linear ranges of superoxide dismutase, ascorbic acid and glutathione are respectively 1.56 x 10(-4)-1.56 x 10(-3) mg mL(-1), 1.75 x 10(-7)-1.75 x 10(-5) mol L(-1) and 9.38 x 10(-7)-7.5 x 10(-5) mol L(-1). The selectivity, linearity and precision for superoxide dismutase, ascorbic acid, and glutathione are presented and discussed. The results compared well with other standard methods for determination of superoxide dismutase, ascorbic acid and glutathione. Some possible steps in the overall reaction mechanisms are discussed.     

A 4-aminonaphthalimide based environmentally sensitive fluorescence probe

A simply synthesized 4-aminonaphthalimide derivative 1 expresses both polarity and viscosity sensitive fluorescence spectra, indicating its potential usage as an environmentally sensitive fluorescence probe. By comparing the fluorescence behavior of 1 with that of a known 4-aminonaphthalimide derivative 2, it was found that the substitution of the 4-amino group has profound influence on the environmentally sensitive fluorescence properties of 4-aminonaphthalimide.     

A reversible optode membrane for picric acid based on the fluorescence quenching of pyrene

Pyrene immobilized in plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane is able to extract selectively picric acid from the sample solution into the organic membrane phase. Since this extraction equilibrium is accompanied by a change in the fluorescence spectrum of pyrene, the chemical recognition process can be directly translated into an optical signal. With the optode membrane described, picric acid in sample solutions from 8.7 x 10(-6) to 4.3 x 10(-3)M can be determined. The calibration curve of the optode membrane for picric acid shows a good correlation with the mathematically derived formalism and thus confirms the theoretically expected behaviour. Besides a high reproducibility of the optical signals, the very short response times less than 35 sec are realized. The optode membrane presented exhibits good selectivity for picric acid over many other usual hydrophobic anions.     

A reversible chemosensor for nitrite based on the fluorescence quenching of a carbazole derivative

The carbazole derivative, with an amino group in 9-position (9-methylacryloylamino carbazole (MAC), has been utilized to prepare a fluorescent sensor and used for the determination of NO₂⁻ based on the reaction between nitrite (NO₂⁻) and excess I⁻ to form I₃⁻, which can quench the fluorescence of carbazole derivative. MAC, as a fluorescent carrier, has a terminal double bond and is covalently immobilized on a quartz glass plate surface by photo-polymerization to prevent the leakage of the dye. The sensor shows sufficient repeatability, selectivity, operational lifetime of 8 weeks, and a fast response of less then 30 s. NO₂⁻ can be determined in the range between 1.0×10⁻⁶ and 1.0×10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹ with a detection limit of 8.0×10⁻⁷ mol l⁻¹ at pH of 2.0. The quenching mechanism is discussed. Most commonly coexisting ions do not interfer with the NO₂⁻ assay.     

A nanogold-quenched fluorescence duplex probe for homogeneous DNA detection based on strand displacement

A nanogold-quenched fluorescence duplex probe has been developed for lighting up homogenous hybridization assays. This novel probe is constructed from two strands of different lengths, and labeled by nanogold and a fluorophore at the long-strand 5′-end and the short-strand 3′-end, respectively. The two tags are in close contact, resulting in complete quenching of the probe fluorescence. If perfectly complemented to the nanogold-labeled strand, a long target oligonucleotide would displace the short fluorophore-labeled strand, and as a result, restore the fluorescence. By using nanogold in the probe, an extremely high quenching efficiency (99.1%) and removal of free fluorophore-labeled strand is achieved. The signal-to-noise ratio and the detection limit (50 pmol L⁻¹) of homogenous assays are therefore improved significantly, in comparison with similar probes using organic acceptors. Moreover, the probe has a great inhibition effect on hybridization to a mismatched oligonucleotide. This effect provides the assay with a high specificity, and particularly the assay has great potential in applications for discriminating variations in sequences. The assay sensitivity could be markedly enhanced by using fluorescent materials in the signal strand that are brighter and not quenched by nucleobases.     

A supramolecular fluorescence probe for caffeine

[structure: see text] Supramolecular sensing is rather limited to charged analytes. This report describes a practicable assay for caffeine, which employs a competitive "indicator-displacement" approach and allows detection by fluorescence. A simple analytical protocol is described that allows quantitation of caffeine in beverages.     

Novel oligonucleotide carrier as scavenger for reactive oxygen species

A novel oligonucleotide carrier which can scavenge ROS is described. The synthesized graft polymer is composed of a PEG segment and a TEMPO‐containing hydrophobic segment for scavenging ROS. This graft polymer can form a PIC through electrostatic interaction with oligonucleotides such as siRNA. The amount of ROS was monitored by fluorescence measurements using H₂DCFDA as a probe, and it was confirmed that the ROS level was effectively suppressed. The cellular uptake of PIC containing the fluorescence‐labeled oligonucleotide was evaluated by fluorescence microscopy. Delivered siRNA suppressed the expression of the mRNA. The prepared graft copolymer is thus a promising candidate as a novel oligonucleotide carrier which also reduces ROS damage generated by cationic polymer carriers.

     

A near-infrared fluorescence turn-on sensor for sulfide anions

The first NIR fluorescent sensor for sulfide anions was constructed based on the displacement approach. The sensing ensemble is composed of a cyanine dye, a piperazine linker, an 8-aminoquinoline ligand, and copper. The favorable attributes of the sensor include a large NIR fluorescence turn-on signal in aqueous ethanol, high sensitivity, and high selectivity. The transition-metal-based displacement strategy may open an avenue for development of NIR fluorescent sensors for a wide variety of anion targets.