A new type of boronic acid fluorescent reporter compound for sugar recognition

Fluorescent boronic acids that change fluorescent properties upon carbohydrate binding are very useful for the preparation of fluorescent sensors for sugars. Herein we report 5-quinolineboronic acid (5-QBA) that shows significant fluorescent property changes through a unique pK_a-switching mechanism upon binding a diol in aqueous solution.     

A highly fluorescent water-soluble boronic acid reporter for saccharide sensing that shows ratiometric UV changes and significant fluorescence changes

One water-soluble naphthalene-based fluorescent boronic acid, 6-(dimethylamino)-naphthalene-2-boronic acid (6-DMANBA, 1), has been synthesized. 6-DMANBA shows significant ratiometric UV absorbance changes upon addition of a sugar. For example, addition of 50 mM fructose shifted the UV absorption wavelengths of 6-DMANBA from 306 and 251 to 280 and 244 nm, respectively. In addition, 6-DMANBA is highly fluorescent with a quantum yield of 89% in the absence of a sugar and shows significant fluorescence intensity changes with the addition of a saccharide in aqueous phosphate buffer at physiological pH. For example, with the addition of 50 mM fructose, 6-DMANBA shows an 80% fluorescent intensity decrease at 432 nm. All these spectroscopic properties make compound 1 unique and useful.     

Enzyme assays with boronic acid appended bipyridinium salts

In-vitro fluorescent enzyme assays have been developed for sucrose phosphorylase (SPO) and phosphoglucomutase (PGM). These assays make use of a selective carbohydrate sensing system that detects the unlabeled enzymatic products fructose and glucose-6-phosphate. The system comprises 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid trisodium salt as the reporter unit and boronic acid appended viologens as selective receptors with working ranges from 70 μM to 1.0 mM for fructose (SPO) and 190 μM to 2.0 mM for glucose-6-phosphate (PGM). The change in fluorescence can be converted into product concentration, allowing initial reaction velocities and Michaelis-Menten kinetics to be calculated. The assays are also carried out in multiwell plate formats, making them suitable for high-throughput screening of enzyme inhibitors. Rapid PGM inhibition screening is demonstrated with EDTA and LiCl. The PGM assay can also be used for enzyme quantification with a detection limit of 50 ng mL⁻¹.     

Redemitting BODIPY boronic acid fluorescent sensors for detection of lactate

Two redemitting BODIPY boronic acid pinacolate derivatives, sensors 1 and 2 were shown to act as excellent and highly selective lactate detectors at physiological pH (7.4), where the formed sensor-lactate complexes exhibited a significant emission and absorption increase. Since hyperlactataemia ([l-lac] > 6.5 mM) is a common complication in intensive care units, there is need for easy, on-line monitoring of lactate levels in patients. Semi-invasive monitoring via a lactate electrode or optic fiber would be attractive. This may beneficially replace existing lactate detection methods requiring a high degree of instrumentation. Sensors 1 and 2 can detect lactate without interference from biological important monosaccharides, such as d-glucose, d-fructose and d-mannose.     

Simultaneous use of multiple fluorescent reporter dyes for glucose sensing in aqueous solution

The simultaneous use of several fluorescent reporter dyes in a multicomponent boronic acid-based glucose sensing system is reported. In one application, two dyes with widely different emission wavelengths are used to report changes in glucose concentration. A third glucose-insensitive dye was then added to act as a reference dye and provide for a ratiometric correction to the two reporter dye signals. The inclusion of such a reference dye reduces errors arising from sources such as fluctuations in lamp intensity and sample dilution. The simultaneous use of multiple fluorescent reporter dyes     

A mild and efficient new synthesis of aryl sulfones from boronic acids and sulfinic acid salts

A new efficient and mild preparation of sulfones from boronic acids and sulfinic acid salts is reported. The cross-coupling reaction mediated by cupric acetate gives access to a variety of sulfones in excellent yield.     

An enzyme-free highly glucose-specific assay using self-assembled aminobenzene boronic acid upon polyelectrolytes electrospun nanofibers-mat

A highly selective enzyme-free amperometric glucose sensor based on electrostatic self-assembling of 3-aminobenzene boronic acid (ABBA) onto a poly(styrene-co-acrylamide)/polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSA/PSSA) electrospun nanofibers-mat was investigated. Emerging ability of phenylboronic acid to bind with the diols of sugars has been extended for rapid response of glucose with a pH-sensitive redox mediator, hematein natural dye. ABBA was adsorbed on the PSA/PSSA nanofibers-mat/Pt-disc electrode that resulted in an ABBA/PSA/PSSA glucose active electrode. The interaction of ABBA onto the PSA/PSSA nanofibers-mat/Pt-disc electrode was characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ζ-potential, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle and cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements. The prepared enzyme-free sensor exhibited a fast amperometric response, i.e., about 4 s and linearity ranging from 0.75 to 14 mM to glucose with a sensitivity of 0.987 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻². Compared to other types of glucose biosensors viz. use glucose oxidase as sensing elements, present glucose sensor offers basic advantages including ease of fabrication, high affinity-selectivity to the glucose upon the electrode surface and quick response.     

Synthesis of a paramagnetic boronic acid as a useful synthetic building block and carbohydrate affinity spin probe

A paramagnetic boronic acid was synthesized by lithiation of 1-acetoxy-3-bromo-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-2,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrole followed by treatment with trimethyl borate. This paramagnetic boronic acid proved to be a useful starting compound in Suzuki cross-coupling reactions and it exhibited affinity toward fructose and inulin.     

Recognition of phospho sugars and nucleotides with an array of boronic acid appended bipyridinium salts

The solution-phase sensor array of three cationic bis-boronic acid appended benzyl viologens (BBV) and the anionic fluorescent dye, 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid trisodium salt (HPTS), is able to discriminate among five phospho sugars, four nucleotides and three neutral saccharides in aqueous buffered solution at low mM concentrations. Linear discriminant analysis, principal component analysis, and hierachical cluster analysis studies showed the “discrimination limit” (lowest analyte concentration where the discrimination is still 100%) to be 4 mM. Calculated K_b and F_max/F₀ values from binding curves of the three BBVs with 1-12 were also used to perform multi-variate analyses with very good discrimination results.     

New boronic acid fluorescent reporter compounds. 2. A naphthalene-based on-off sensor functional at physiological pH

[structure: see text] A new boronic acid fluorescent on-off reporter compound (1) was synthesized. This fluorescent sensor shows a 41-fold emission intensity increase upon addition of 50 mM fructose in 0.1 M aqueous phosphate buffer at pH 7.4.     

A new Fe fluorescent chemosensor based on aggregation-induced emission

A new tetraphenylethylene (TPE)-based sensor M1 bearing double 2-methylpyridyl-2-methylthiophenylamino units linked with triazole moieties was reported. Both UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopic studies demonstrated that M1 was highly sensitive and selective toward Fe³⁺ over other metal ions in THF/H₂O solution based on the aggregation-induced emission quenching mechanism. The lowest detection limit of M1 for Fe³⁺ is 0.7 μM. The detailed fluorescent titration study suggested that the binding stoichiometry of the M1–Fe³⁺ complex was 1:2, and the structure between M1 and the Fe³⁺ complex was confirmed by the ¹H NMR titration.     

Synthesis of three fluorescent boronic acid sensors for tumor marker Sialyl Lewis X in cancer diagnosis

Sialyl Lewis X (sLex) is a carbohydrate that is considered not only a marker for cancer, but also an antigen associated with the malignant behavior of cancerous cells. We have synthesized three fluorescent boronic acid sensors as potential sensors for sLex. Photoinduced electron transfer by a fluorescence analyzer was used to assess sensor-sLex antigen binding. The reaction was carried out in mixed aqueous solution, and Sensor 3 was identified as showing the strongest fluorescence enhancement upon binding to sLex at 10 nM. In cell-line culture experiments, Sensor 1 was shown to label sLex expression positively for HepG2, Colo 205, and COS-7 cells, and negatively for MDA-MB-231 cells; Sensor 2 did so positively for HepG2, PLC/PRF/5, and Colo 205 cells, and negatively for MDA-MB-231 and COS7 cells; and Sensor 3 did so positively for PLC/PRF/5 and HepG2 cells, and negatively for MDA-MD-231 and COS7 cells. MTT cytotoxicity experiment results showed that the three sensors are nontoxic, and Hoechst 33258 experiments showed that no apoptosis occurred.     

A new route towards fluorescent organic nanoparticles with red-shifted emission and increased colloidal stability

Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction with a new boron reagent has been used to conveniently and efficiently synthetize a dipolar chromophore having an elongated π-conjugated system (i.e., bithiophene based), which displays a red-shifted emission while maintaining fluorescence. Bright orange emitting FONs made from this ‘naked’ dipole have been easily prepared and studied. Very interestingly, these FONs with red-shifted emission combine markedly enhanced colloidal and structural stability in water with giant one- and two-photon brightness. As such, they hold promises as fluorescent probes for bioimaging.     

A new class of fluorescent boronic acids that have extraordinarily high affinities for diols in aqueous solution at physiological pH

The boronic acid group is an important recognition moiety for sensor design. Herein, we report a series of isoquinolinylboronic acids that have extraordinarily high affinities for diol-containing compounds at physiological pH. In addition, 5- and 8-isoquinolinylboronic acids also showed fairly high binding affinities towards D-glucose (K(a)=42 and 46 M(-1), respectively). For the first time, weak but encouraging binding of cis-cyclohexanediol was found for these boronic acids. Such binding was coupled with significant fluorescence changes. Furthermore, 4- and 6-isoquinolinylboronic acids also showed the ability to complex methyl α-D-glucopyranose (K(a)=3 and 2 M(-1), respectively).     

Synthesis of new benzimidazolium salts with tunable emission intensities and their application as fluorescent probes for Fe in pure aqueous media

A series of novel, water-soluble benzimidazolium salts with common ‘fluorophore–spacer–receptor’ PET design has been synthesized. Despite the common PET scaffold these benzimidazolium salts displayed diverse emission intensities in pure aqueous solutions. The observed emission intensities were found to be influenced by the functionalized alkyl side arms present on the benzimidazolium ring. These benzimidazolium salts were also found to act as selective sensors for Fe³⁺ ions over other metal ions like Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ba²⁺, Al³⁺, Cr³⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Mn²⁺, Zn²⁺, Pb²⁺, Ag⁺, Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺ in pure aqueous media.     

Fluorescence lifetime based distance measurement illustrates conformation changes of PYL10-CL2 upon ABA binding in solution state

The fluorescence lifetime based FRET distance measurements using sitespecific incorporated unnatural amino acid HC and Alexa488 as FRET pair revealed the different conformations of PYL10-CL2 upon ABA binding.     

A new fluorescent quenching method for the determination of phosphoproteins by using calconcarboxylic acid

A fluorescent quenching detection method for phosphoproteins in SDS‐PAGE by using calconcarboxylic acid (CCA) was described. In this method, the fluorescence intensity of CCA was greatly increased with the presence of Al³⁺ in the gel background, while in zones where phosphoproteins are located this intensity was absent because of fluorescence quenching phenomenon through the formation of CCA‐Al³⁺‐phosphoprotein appended complex. Approximately 4–8 ng of phosphoproteins can be selectively detected within 1 h (1D SDS‐PAGE), which is similar to that of the most commonly used Pro‐Q Diamond stain. The specificity of this novel technique for phosphoproteins was confirmed by dephosphorylation, Western blot, and LC‐MS/MS analysis, respectively. Furthermore, to better understand the newly developed method, the detection mechanism of CCA stain was explored by fluorescent spectrometry. According to the results, it is believed that CCA stain may provide a new choice for selective, economical, MS compatible, and convenient visualization of gel‐separated phosphoproteins.     

A novel 4.6 5-connected metal-organic framework with strong fluorescent emission constructed by m-thioacetatebenzoic acid

A novel uninodal 5-connected metal-organic framework (MOF), [Cd₂L₂(4,4′-bipy)_3/2(H₂O)₂]_n (H₂L=m-thioacetatebenzoic acid and 4,4′-bipy=4,4′-bipyridine), was prepared under hydrothermal condition. It features an unusual brick-wall shape layer by 4,4′-bipy, which consists of right- and left-handed helical chains arrayed alternatively and finally expands by L^2- to a rare 5-connected nov (4⁴.6⁶) topology network. Photoluminescence study reveals that it displays intense structure-related fluorescent emission bands (λ_ex=355 nm) at 450 nm in the solid state at room temperature.     

A ratiometric fluorescent probe for the detection of hypochlorous acid in living cells and zebra fish with along wavelength emission

A ratiometric fluorescence probe, NClO, for the rapid and selective detection of HClO had been designed and synthesized based on a 1,8-naphthalimide derivative. Probe NClO displayed a red emission(λ_(max)= 615 nm). In the presence of HClO, the solution of probe NClO gave off a strong green fluorescence(λ_(em), _(max)= 520 nm) with a rapid response(within seconds). This probe had been applied to image HClO in living cells and zebra fish.