含活性基荧光素衍生物

介绍了近20年来含活性基荧光素衍生物的最新研究成果,重点介绍了含活性基的荧光素探针在生物分析中的应用及改进。     

荧光素类探针在生物分析中的研究进展

综述了近些年来荧光素及其衍生物领域的研究进展，尤其是对用于生物分析的荧光探针材料的研究状况和发展趋势进行了探讨。     

以苝二酰亚胺为发色团的荧光探针的研究进展

近年来,分子荧光探针以其高灵敏度、高选择性、专一性及设计的简便性等优点受到广泛的关注.苝二酰亚胺类(perylene tetracarboxylic diimide, PDI)衍生物具有良好的光热和化学稳定性、较高的荧光量子产率、较大的斯托克斯位移以及易修饰性等优点,能够作为优良的荧光探针发色团.苝四酸酐结构本身具有强吸电子性,易被还原而不易被氧化,因此能够作为良好的电子受体.但其自身结构容易发生π-π堆积,导致水溶性较差,限制了其在生物领域里的大范围应用.通过研究人员的努力,在PDI结构中引入亲水性基团改善了其水溶性.根据被检测物种的种类对PDI类荧光探针进行分类,详细介绍了近年来以PDI为发色团的荧光探针在离子检测、气体检测、生物分子检测等方面的研究进展,并探讨探针的设计方法、荧光响应机制以及应用.最后提出进一步构建新型PDI类衍生物分子荧光探针面临的挑战和未来发展方向,并对应用前景进行了展望.     

基于硅杂蒽类染料的荧光探针及其应用

近年来,荧光成像技术为人们研究活体细胞及组织内的化学生物学过程提供了有效的研究工具,可以无损、实时、原位地以高时空分辨率实现对目标物进行生物荧光成像与分析。荧光成像技术在生物学、环境监测、临床诊断和药物发现等诸多研究领域发挥着越来越重要的作用。生物荧光成像技术的最新进展对发展新型小分子荧光染料及探针提出了更高的要求。激发和发射波长位于近红外光区（600~900 nm）的荧光染料及探针由于具有光毒性低、生物分子自发荧光干扰小、光散射低、组织穿透能力强等优点,非常适合用于生物荧光成像领域。通过将罗丹明分子中O桥原子用Si代替,得到了一类新型的探针分子--硅杂蒽类荧光探针。这类染料分子在保留了氧杂蒽荧光染料优越的光学性质的同时,光谱发生明显红移,满足了近红外荧光检测的要求,具有良好的生物相容性。本文综述了近年来基于硅杂蒽及其衍生物荧光探针的合成及在金属离子、pH值、小分子、生物酶等检测方面的研究进展,并且简要阐述了基于硅杂蒽类探针分子的识别检测机理以及其在生物成像等方面的应用。     

核酸探针及其在生物分析中的应用

核酸探针由于具有结构可变,合成简单和易于修饰等特点,被广泛应用于酶、蛋白质、生物小分子、金属离子、核酸以及细胞等生物分析物的检测,成为生物分析领域中不可或缺的一种研究工具。基于核酸探针发展起来的核酸信号放大策略为检测低丰度的物质提供了重要平台,提高了核酸探针检测的灵敏度,对于生物医学研究,分子诊断和药物基因组学至关重要。对核酸探针的类型、核酸信号放大方法以及核酸探针在生物分析领域的应用进行了介绍,对核酸探针的发展进行了总结与展望。     

一氧化氮荧光分子探针

一氧化氮（NO）在生物体中扮演重要的角色,对其选择性识别引起了人们极大的兴趣。本文综述了两类NO荧光分子探针的研究进展,即含金属离子的NO荧光分子探针：如Co(Ⅱ)、Fe(Ⅱ)、 Ru(Ⅱ)、Rh(Ⅱ)和Cu(Ⅱ)配合物作为荧光打开的NO分子探针;邻苯二胺类荧光分子探针：如2,3-二氨基萘（DAN）、二氨基荧光素衍生物（DAFs）、二氨基罗丹明衍生物（DARs）、硼二吡咯甲基衍生物（BODIPY）和三碳菁衍生物（DAC）等。     

二氧化硫衍生物荧光探针的研究进展

二氧化硫衍生物亚硫酸氢盐和亚硫酸盐在食品的防腐、抗菌和抗氧化等方面起着重要的作用.两种物质的化学和生物分子功能对环境和人类健康的重要性受到广泛关注.定量检测二氧化硫衍生物在生化研究和相关疾病诊断方面有着突出的意义.目前,利用高选择性、高灵敏度的光学探针开展二氧化硫衍生物的检测研究已成为前沿课题之一.其中,荧光探针由于具有简便性、高时空分辨能力等特点尤其受到关注.本文基于光学探针与二氧化硫衍生物的不同反应机理,针对近年来该领域的研究新进展进行了较系统的评述.所涉及的反应机理主要有乙酰丙酮酸酯的加成、醛基加成、其他双键的麦克尔加成、C=N键异构化等.此外,还对检测二氧化硫衍生物的光学探针存在的问题进行了讨论,并在目前研究的基础上对其发展趋势与应用前景进行了展望.     

基于氧杂蒽结构可控官能化的荧光探针研究新进展

荧光分子探针技术在表达分子间识别行为及复杂生命和环境体系的内状态信息方面具有非常优异的性能,氧杂蒽及其衍生物螺连隐色体结构变化伴随的分子荧光变换模型,广泛且深入的应用于构建新型功能光敏探针分子.近年来此类探针的合成设计及功能化调控研究异常活跃,新的突破不断涌现.综述了新近基于氧杂蒽及其衍生物的荧光探针在金属阳离子、pH、阴离子识别检测方面的研究进展,并简要阐释了该类探针分子的构筑,识别检测机理以及探针在生物成像和环境监测等方面的应用.     

荧光素衍生物作为Hg2+比色/荧光双模式检测探针及其荧光成像

合成并表征了一种荧光素衍生物——硫代异氰酸苯酯荧光素(FHBS);采用紫外-可见光谱和荧光光谱,在乙醇/4-羟乙基哌嗪乙磺酸(HEPES)(体积比1∶1,pH=7.0)溶液中,研究了FHBS作为检测探针对Hg2+的识别性能.结果表明,该探针对Hg2+具有高选择性和灵敏性,其它阴、阳离子的存在不干扰其对汞离子的测定.另外,Hg2+的加入使探针溶液从无色变为亮黄色,荧光从无色变为亮绿色,因此该探针为Hg2+的比色/荧光双模式探针,并可用于细胞的荧光成像.     

检测活性硫物种小分子荧光探针的研究进展

总结了近两年来检测生物硫醇、H_2S以及SO_2衍生物荧光探针的研究现状,着重讨论了探针设计的传感机制、传感性能和生物应用方面的特征。检测生物硫醇方面,主要介绍了涉及多反应位点的多通道探针用于区分谷胱甘肽(GSH)、半胱氨酸(Cys)和同型半胱氨酸(Hcy);检测H_2S方面,重点介绍了基于叠氮基还原和亲核反应这两种机制设计的探针;检测SO_2衍生物方面,主要总结了根据迈克尔加成法和醛的加成机制设计的探针。这为构建新型荧光探针以研究活性硫物种的生理和病理作用奠定了基础。     

Rational design of fluorescein-based fluorescence probes. Mechanism-based design of a maximum fluorescence probe for singlet oxygen.

Fluorescein is one of the best available fluorophores for biological applications, but the factors that control its fluorescence properties are not fully established. Thus, we initiated a study aimed at providing a strategy for rational design of functional fluorescence probes bearing fluorescein structure. We have synthesized various kinds of fluorescein derivatives and examined the relationship between their fluorescence properties and the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) levels of their benzoic acid moieties obtained by semiempirical PM3 calculations. It was concluded that the fluorescence properties of fluorescein derivatives are controlled by a photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process from the benzoic acid moiety to the xanthene ring and that the threshold of fluorescence OFF/ON switching lies around -8.9 eV for the HOMO level of the benzoic acid moiety. This information provides the basis for a practical strategy for rational design of functional fluorescence probes to detect certain biomolecules. We used this approach to design and synthesize 9-[2-(3-carboxy-9,10-dimethyl)anthryl]-6-hydroxy-3H-xanthen-3-one (DMAX) as a singlet oxygen probe and confirmed that it is the most sensitive probe currently known for (1)O(2). This novel fluorescence probe has a 9,10-dimethylanthracene moiety as an extremely fast chemical trap of (1)O(2). As was expected from PM3 calculations, DMAX scarcely fluoresces, while DMAX endoperoxide (DMAX-EP) is strongly fluorescent. Further, DMAX reacts with (1)O(2) more rapidly, and its sensitivity is 53-fold higher than that of 9-[2-(3-carboxy-9,10-diphenyl)anthryl]-6-hydroxy-3H-xanthen-3-ones (DPAXs), which are a series of fluorescence probes for singlet oxygen that we recently developed. DMAX should be useful as a fluorescence probe for detecting (1)O(2) in a variety of biological systems.     

Rational principles for modulating fluorescence properties of fluorescein

Rational design strategies based on practical fluorescence modulation mechanisms would enable us to rapidly develop novel fluorescence probes for target molecules. Here, we present a practical and general principle for modulating the fluorescence properties of fluorescein. We hypothesized that (a) the fluorescein molecule can be divided into two moieties, i.e., the xanthene moiety as a fluorophore and the benzene moiety as a fluorescence-controlling moiety, even though there is no obvious linker structure between them, and (b) the fluorescence properties can be modulated via a photoinduced electron transfer (PeT) process from the excited fluorophore to a reducible benzene moiety (donor-excited PeT; d-PeT). To evaluate the relationship between the reduction potential of the benzene moiety and the fluorescence properties, we designed and synthesized various derivatives in which the reduction potential of the benzene moiety was fine tuned by introducing electron-withdrawing groups onto the benzene moiety. Our results clearly show that the fluorescence properties of fluorescein derivatives were indeed finely modulated depending upon the reduction potential of the benzene moiety. This information provides a basis for a practical strategy for rational design of novel functional fluorescence probes.     

Dependence of the constants of binding for nanomarkers of the fluorescein family with human serum albumin on Ph

The effective constants of binding for probes of the fluorescein family (fluorescein and its halogen derivatives, eosin and erythrosin) with human serum albumin (HSA) at different pH were determined. It was found that the introduction of halogen groups into the structural formula of fluorescein changes the character of the dependence on pH of the effective constant of binding of a nanomarker with HSA: the nonlinear dependence of the effective constants of binding with its protein typical for fluorescein, eosin, and erythrosine is characterized by an almost linear reduction with increasing pH dependence of the effective constants of their binding with human serum albumin. It was shown that the presence of more electronegative atoms in the structural formula of nanomarker leads to decrease of values of effective constants of nanomarker binding with HSA.     

Activity-Based Sensing of Ascorbate by Using Copper-Mediated Oxidative Bond Cleavage

Ascorbate is an important biological reductant and enzyme cofactor. Although direct detection through ascorbate-mediated reduction is possible, this approach suffers from poor selectivity due to the wide range of cellular reducing agents. To overcome this limitation, we leverage reduction potential of ascorbate to mediate a copper-mediated oxidative bond cleavage of ether-caged fluorophores. The copper(II) complexes supported by a {bis(2-pyridylmethyl)}benzylamine or a {bis(2-pyridylmethyl)}(2-methoxybenzyl)amine ligand were identified as an ascorbate responsive unit and their reaction with ascorbate yields a copper-based oxidant that enables rapid benzylic oxidation and the release of an ether-caged dye (coumarin or fluorescein). The copper-mediated bond cleavage is specific to ascorbate and the trigger can be readily derivatized for tuning photophysical properties of the probes. The probes were successfully applied for the fluorometric detection of ascorbate in commercial food samples, human plasma, and serum, and within live cells by using confocal microscopy and flow cytometry.     

Fluorescence-labelled DNA probes to detect complementary sequences in homogeneous media

Sensitive, safe and easy-to-use probes for the detection of nucleic acids are urgently called for. To this end we are in the process of developing a fluorescence-based technique to work in homogeneous assay media. We have examined pyrene and fluorescein as fluorescent labels for natural DNA probes. A fraction of the cytosine residues of a single-stranded cDNA was randomly labelled with either pyrene or fluorescein using the bisulfite-catalyzed diamine reaction. Both fluorophores showed fluorescence quenching when the labelled probe was hybridized with its complementary strand and we describe the changes in steady-state fluorescence intensity that occurred upon hybridization. Our results demonstrate that pyrene quenching is more efficient than fluorescein quenching and thus pyrene-labelled probes are more sensitive for detecting and quantifying DNA from natural sources.     

Capillary zone electrophoresis separation and laser-based detection of both fluorescein thiohydantoin and dimethylaminoazobenzene thiohydantoin derivatives of amino acids

Capillary zone electrophoresis is employed for the separation and analysis of both fluorescein thiohydantoin and dimethylaminoazobenzene thiohydantoin derivatives of amino acids. Detection of minute amounts of these amino acid derivatives is an important milestone in the development of a high sensitivity protein sequencer. Current detection limits for the fluorescein derivative is on the order of 10(-21) moles whereas detection limits for the dimethylaminoazobenzene derivative is on the order of 10(-16) moles.     

A novel design method of ratiometric fluorescent probes based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer switching by spectral overlap integral

A ratiometric measurement, namely, simultaneous recording of the fluorescence intensities at two wavelengths and calculation of their ratio, allows greater precision than measurements at a single wavelength, and is suitable for cellular imaging studies. Here we describe a novel method of designing probes for ratiometric measurement of hydrolytic enzyme activity based on switching of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). This method employs fluorescent probes with a 3'-O,6'-O-protected fluorescein acceptor linked to a coumarin donor through a linker moiety. As there is no spectral overlap integral between the coumarin emission and fluorescein absorption, the fluorescein moiety cannot accept the excitation energy of the donor moiety and the donor fluorescence can be observed. After cleavage of the protective groups by hydrolytic enzymes, the fluorescein moiety shows a strong absorption in the coumarin emission region, and then acceptor fluorescence due to FRET is observed. Based on this mechanism, we have developed novel ratiometric fluorescent probes (1-3) for protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) activity. They exhibit a large shift in their emission wavelength after reaction with PTPs. The fluorescence quenching problem that usually occurs with FRET probes is overcome by using the coumarin-cyclohexane-fluorescein FRET cassette moiety, in which close contact of the two dyes is hindered. After study of their chemical and kinetic properties, we have concluded that compounds 1 and 2 bearing a rigid cyclohexane linker are practically useful for the ratiometric measurement of PTPs activity. The design concept described in this paper, using FRET switching by spectral overlap integral and a rigid link that prevents close contact of the two dyes, should also be applicable to other hydrolytic enzymes by introducing other appropriate enzyme-cleavable groups into the fluorescein acceptor.     

Cellular Detection of a Mitochondria Targeted Brominated Vinyl Triphenylamine Optical Probe (TP−Br) by X-Ray Fluorescence Microscopy

Triphenylamine (TP) derivatives such as two-branch cationic vinylbenzimidazolium triphenylamine TP−2Bzim are promising turn-on fluorescent probes suitable for two-photon imaging, labelling mitochondria in live cells. Here, we designed two TP−2Bzim derivatives as bimodal probes suitable for X-ray fluorescence imaging. The conjugation of the TP core with a rhenium tricarbonyl moiety in the TP−RePyta probe altered the localisation in live cells from mitochondria to lysosomes. The introduction of bromine on the TP core generated the TP−Br probe retaining good photophysical properties and mitochondria labelling in live cells. The influence of calcium channels in the uptake of TP−Br was studied. Synchrotron Radiation X-ray Fluorescence (SXRF) imaging of bromine enabled the detection of TP−Br and suggested a negligible presence of the probe in an unbound state in the incubated cells, a crucial point in the development of these probes. This study paves the way towards the development of TP probes as specific organelle stainers suitable for SXRF imaging.     

Polymer-DNA hybrids as electrochemical probes for the detection of DNA

The syntheses of several norbornene block copolymers containing oligonucleotide and ferrocenyl side chains and their use in the electrochemical detection of DNA are described. Two kinds of DNA-containing block copolymers with either ferrocenyl or dibromoferrocenyl groups were prepared via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Based on these two distinct ferrocene derivatives, a triblock copolymer labeling strategy was developed. With this strategy, the identity of DNA target can be determined by the E1/2s of the ferrocenyl moieties and the ratio of peak currents. These polymers exhibit predictable and tailorable electrochemical properties, high DNA duplex stability, and unusually sharp melting transitions, which are highly desirable characteristics for DNA detection applications. Significantly, single-base mismatches could be easily detected using two distinct block copolymers as dual-channel detection probes in an electrochemical DNA detection format.