Fluorescence kinetics of emission from a small finite volume of a biological system

The fluorescence decay, apparent quantum yield and transmission from chromophores constrained to a microscopic volume using a single picosecond laser excitation were measured as a function of incident intensity. The β subunit of phycoeryhthrin aggregate isolated from the photosynthetic antenna system of Nostoc sp. was selected since it contains only four chromophores in a volume of less than 5.6×10⁴ ų. The non-exponential fluorescence decay profiles were intensity independent for the intensity range studied (5 × 10¹³ - 2 × 10¹⁵ photon cm^?2 per pulse). The apparent decrease in the relative fluorescence quantum yield and increase of the relative transmission with increasing excitation intensity is attributed to the combined effects of ground state depletion and upper excited state absorption. Evidence suggests that exciton annihilation is absent within isolated β subunits.     

Self-Assembly-Directed Exciton Diffusion in Solution-Processable Metalloporphyrin Thin Films

The study of excited-state energy diffusion has had an important impact in the development and optimization of organic electronics. For instance, optimizing excited-state energy migration in the photoactive layer in an organic solar cell device has been shown to yield efficient solar energy conversion. Despite the crucial role that energy migration plays in molecular electronic device physics, there is still a great deal to be explored to establish how molecular orientation impacts energy diffusion mechanisms. In this work, we have synthesized a new library of solution-processable, Zn (alkoxycarbonyl)phenylporphyrins containing butyl (ZnTCB₄PP), hexyl (ZnTCH₄PP), 2-ethylhexyl (ZnTCEH₄PP), and octyl (ZnTCO₄PP) alkoxycarbonyl groups. We establish that, by varying the length of the peripheral alkyl chains on the metalloporphyrin macrocycle, preferential orientation and molecular self-assembly is observed in solution-processed thin films. The resultant arrangement of molecules consequently affects the electronic and photophysical characteristics of the metalloporphyrin thin films. The various molecular arrangements in the porphyrin thin films and their resultant impact were determined using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence emission lifetimes, and X-ray diffraction in thin films. The films were doped with C₆₀ quencher molecules and the change in fluorescence was measured to derive a relative quenching efficiency. Using emission decay, relative quenching efficiency, and dopant volume fraction as input, insights on exciton diffusion coefficient and exciton diffusion lengths were obtained from a Monte Carlo simulation. The octyl derivative (ZnTCO₄PP) showed the strongest relative fluorescence quenching and, therefore, the highest exciton diffusion coefficient (5.29 × 10⁻³ cm² s⁻¹) and longest exciton diffusion length (~81 nm). The octyl derivative also showed the strongest out-of-plane stacking among the metalloporphyrins studied. This work demonstrates how molecular self-assembly can be used to modulate and direct exciton diffusion in solution-processable metalloporphyrin thin films engineered for optoelectronic and photonic applications.     

The effect of heavy metals on the anthracene–Me-β-cyclodextrin host–guest inclusion complexes

Anthracene was used to form an inclusion complex with methylated-β-cyclodextrin (Me-β-CD) in water. In aqueous Me-β-CD solution, typical fluorescence emission of anthracene was observed. Benesi–Hildebrand's method was used to obtain the stoichiometry of the anthracene–Me-β-CD complex. The Stern–Volmer quenching constants, K_sv, and fluorescence quantum yields were calculated according to changes in the fluorescence emission intensity of anthracene–Me-β-CD inclusion complexes by adding various amounts of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ salts in water. The K_sv values and fluorescence quantum yields indicate that Pb²⁺ salts quench the anthracene–Me-β-CD inclusion complexes more efficiently than Cd²⁺ salts.     

A Novel Fluorescence Quenching Method for the Determination of Aloe Polysaccharide

Alizarin red (AR) can bind with aloe polysaccharide (APS) in doubly de‐ionized water to form a red complex resulting in fluorescence quenching of it. The maximum fluorescence quenching wavelength is 572 nm. The chromogenic reaction is rapid and the fluorescence intensity remains stable for at least 2 h at room temperature. The quenched fluorescence intensity (ΔF) is directly proportional to APS concentration. Based on this interaction, a sensitive and selective fluorophotometric method is proposed for the determination of APS. The optimal experiment conditions were established. The corresponding linear equation is (F=0.8807C+1.8132, R²=0.9999. The quantification and detection limits are 0.4752 and 0.1425 µg·mL^?1, respectively. The linear range is 0.444–16.65 µg·mL^?1 for APS and the mean recovery (100.2±2)%, RSD?3%. The effect of various substances on the determination of APS was also investigated in detail, and the results show that most of the studied coexistent substances can be tolerated in considerable amounts. The proposed method is sensitive, simple, fast and suitable for routine assay.     

Can Hg(II) be Determined via Quenching of the Emission of Green Fluorescent Protein from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anemonia sulcata</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">smaragdina</Emphasis>?

Anemonia sulcata var. smaragdina is a widely distributed Cnidarian species along Turkish coastlines. It is also a well-known example of a facultative symbiotic life form in sea ecosystems. Green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) in Anemonia sulcata var. smaragdina have vital roles in this symbiotic form. The fluorescence quenching by Hg(II) in the supernatants obtained from A. sulcata var. smaragdina was shown in this study. According to results, there was a statistical significant relationship (R ² = 0.9913) between increased Hg(II) concentration and decreased fluorescence intensity of GFP supernatants obtained from A. sulcata var. smaragdina. Mn(II), Fe(II), and Al(II) showed no interference effect and did not change the fluorescence intensity of GFP supernatants obtained from A. sulcata var. smaragdina. In conclusion, the fluorescence quenching of GFPs by Hg(II) can be a novel method to determine the Hg(II) levels in aqueous solution. Therefore, further researches are strongly warranted because of the possible potential applications of the fluorescence quenching of GFPs by Hg(II).     

Mapping Grape Berry Photosynthesis by Chlorophyll Fluorescence Imaging: The Effect of Saturating Pulse Intensity in Different Tissues

Grape berry development and ripening depends mainly on imported photosynthates from leaves, however, fruit photosynthesis may also contribute to the carbon economy of the fruit. In this study pulse amplitude modulated chlorophyll fluorescence imaging (imaging‐PAM) was used to assess photosynthetic properties of tissues of green grape berries. In particular, the effect of the saturation pulse (SP) intensity was investigated. A clear tissue‐specific distribution pattern of photosynthetic competence was observed. The exocarp revealed the highest photosynthetic capacity and the lowest susceptibility to photoinhibition, and the mesocarp exhibited very low fluorescence signals and photochemical competence. Remarkably, the seed outer integument revealed a photosynthetic ability similar to that of the exocarp. At a SP intensity of 5000 μmol m^?2 s^?1 several photochemical parameters were decreased, including maximum fluorescence in dark‐adapted (F_m) and light‐adapted (F'_m) samples and effective quantum yield of PSII (Φ_II), but the inner tissues were susceptible to a SP intensity as low as 3200 μmol m^?2 s^?1 under light‐adapted conditions, indicating a photoinhibitory interaction between SP and actinic light intensities and repetitive exposure to SP. These results open the way to further studies concerning the involvement of tissue‐specific photosynthesis in the highly compartmentalized production and accumulation of organic compounds during grape berry development.     

FLUORESCENCE RELAXATION KINETICS AND QUANTUM YIELD FROM THE ISOLATED PHYCOBILIPROTEINS OF THE BLUE-GREEN ALGA NOSTOC SP. MEASURED AS A FUNCTION OF SINGLE PICOSECOND PULSE INTENSITY, I

Abstract— Phycobilisomes from the blue-green alga Nostoc sp. are known to contain the phycobiliproteins: c-phycoerythrin (c-PE), c-phycocyanin (c-PC) and four forms of allophycocyanin (APC I, II, III, and B). We have made a detailed study of the effects of the intensity of a single 6 ps excitation pulse on the decay kinetics and the yield of fluorescence in the individual isolated phycobiliproteins at pH 7 and 23°C. The risetime of the fluorescence of c-PE, c-PC and APC was > 12 ps. We found that the decay of the fluorescence was exponential at intensities of 10¹⁴ photons/cm² in all the phycobiliproteins; the lifetimes being 1552 ± 31ps for c-PE, 2111 ± 83ps for c-PC, 1932 ± 165ps for APC I, 1870 ± 90ps for APC II, 1816 ± 88ps for APC III, (1869 ± 62ps for the averaged APC's I, II, and III), and 2667 ± 233 ps for APC B. We also found that the fluorescence decay became non-exponential in c-PE at excitation intensities < 10¹⁴ photons/cm², but was exponential for all the other phycobiliproteins even at a pulse intensity of 10¹⁵ photons/cm². The relaxation times of c-PE and c-PC decreased with excitation intensity above 10¹⁴ photons/cm². For c-PE and c-PC the relative fluorescence vs excitation intensity was readily described by a relationship derived for a model in which exciton–exciton annihilation occurs. In APC the fluorescence yield and relaxation time were only slightly dependent on the excitation intensity. The results are interpreted to indicate the occurrence of singlet–singlet annihilation intramolecularly among the several phycobilin chromophores within the individual phycobiliprotein molecules in solution. The s to f transfer time is less than 12ps in c-PC.     

Experimental evidence for the influence of excition interactions on the temporal decay of crytalline tetracene flourescence

Crytalline tetracene fluorescence was excited at room temperature by high intensity picosecond pulses at 531.5 nm (ca. 10¹⁵ photons cm^?2 per pulse). The analysis of the decay curves during the first 1.5 ns at high excitations, shows a decay faster than the singlet lifetime measured at low intensity, due to singlet quenching by S–S and S–T interactions, and the appearance of a slow decay due to singlets generated by T–T interactions. Numerical fitting is obtained with rate constants γ_SS and γ_SS equal to 5 × 10 ^?9 cm³ s^?1 within a factor of approximately two.     

Binding Effect of Common Ions to Human Serum Albumin in the Presence of Norfloxacin: Investigation with Spectroscopic and Zeta Potential Approaches

In this work, the toxic influence of metallic ions (Al³⁺, Cu²⁺, Mg²⁺, Pb²⁺) on human serum albumin (HSA) in the absence and presence of norfloxacin (NRF) was studied by spectroscopic approaches [fluorescence quenching, synchronous fluorescence, three-dimensional fluorescence, circular dichroism, resonance light scattering (RLS) and zeta potential techniques] under simulated physiological conditions. Fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that these metallic ions and NRF can quench the HSA fluorescence, and this quenching effect became more significant when both ion and drug are present together. The binding constants and binding sites of metal ions with HSA in the absence and presence of NRF were determined, based on the fluorescence quenching results. Ion aggregation gives rise to an enhancement of the RLS intensity for HSA and the critical induced aggregation concentration (C _CIAC) of the ions, causing HSA aggregation for binary and ternary systems. The zeta potential measurements indicate a combination of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between ion, NRF and HSA and the formed micelle-like clusters. These data illustrated that NRF has an effect on the interaction between HSA and metal ions, with relevance for various toxicological and therapeutic processes.     

Electronic excitation energy transfer in solid solution of 7-diethylamino-3,4-benzophenoxazine-2-one (Nile Red dye) in bis[N-2-(oxybenzylidene)-4-tert-butylaniline]zinc

Transfer of electronic excitation energy from the host material to guest molecules was studied taking the solid-phase system bis[N-(2-oxybenzylidene)-4-tert-butylaniline]zinc + 7-diethylamino-3,4-benzophenoxazine-2-one (the guest compound) as an example. The luminescence excitation spectra and the concentration quenching of green fluorescence of the host compound and the excitation of sensitized red fluorescence of the guest molecules were studied. Among the exciton mechanism of energy migration and Förster"s long-range, single-jump mechanism, the former dominates. The number of jumps (m) and the mean diffusion length of the singlet exciton (l), calculated in the framework of the model of partially delocalized, randomly hopping exciton, were estimated at 1.5·10³ and 450 , respectively.     

FLUORESCENCE RELAXATION KINETICS AND QUANTUM YIELD FROM THE PHYCOBILISOMES OF THE BLUE-GREEN ALGA NOSTOC SP. MEASURED AS A FUNCTION OF SINGLE PICOSECOND PULSE INTENSITY*

Abstract— A detailed experimental study of the effect of intensity of a 6 ps excitation pulse on the decay kinetics and yield from phycobilisomes (PBsomes) is presented. The fluorescence from the c-phycoerythrin (PE) emission from PBsomes was found to decay as a single exponential with a time of 31 ± 4ps for an excitation intensity <10¹⁴ photons/cm² per pulse. The risetime of the c-phycocyanin (PC) and allophycocyanin (APC) emission from PBsomes was found to be 34 ± 13 ps. Therefore, at low excitation intensities, the energy transfer time between the constituent phycobiliproteins, PE and PC, is measured to be 34 ± 13ps from the fluorescence decay time of PE and the fluorescence risetime of the PC and APC emission. The fluorescence yield from the PE emission component in PBsomes was found to be intensity dependent for excitation intensities >10¹⁴ photons/cm². The decrease in yield with increased intensity in this case occurred at a higher intensity than in the isolated phycobiliprotein PE. The fluorescence yield of the PC and APC emission component was also found to decrease markedly with increasing excitation intensity. This is in contrast to the case of the isolated phycobiliprotein APC which showed only a slight quenching of the fluorescence. The higher quenching observed for the APC emission in the PBsome evidences the higher effective absorption of APC via energy transfer from PE to PC and APC.     

Excitation energy-transfer processes between two trimers in C-phycocyanin hexamer from the cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis. Investigation by group theory and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy

We have employed group theory and picosecond time-resolved fluorescence isotropy and anisotropy spectroscopy methods to explore the excitation transfers within an isolated C-phycocyanin (C-PC) hexamer (αβ)₆^PCL²⁷_RC, situated at the end of the rod proximal to the core of the pycobilisome (PBS) in the cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis. The group-theory results imply that excitation energy transfer between two trimers occurs between the lowest exciton level of each trimer. The excitation energy-transfer process might occur at a rate of 10–20 ps, and it may be described by an exciton hopping-like Förster transfer mechanism. Dynamic components of 45–50 ps are assigned to the excitation transfer from β₁₅₅-PCB chromophores to the exciton states of dimers, which consist of two neighbouring monomers of the same trimer in an isolated C-PC hexamer.     

Investigation on the pH-dependent binding of benzocaine and lysozyme by fluorescence and absorbance

The interaction mechanism between benzocaine (BZC) and lysozyme (Lys) has been investigated by fluorescence, synchronous fluorescence, ultraviolet–vis (UV) absorption spectra, and three-dimensional fluorescence (3-D) in various pH medium. The observations of fluorescence spectra were mainly rationalized in terms of a static quenching process at lower concentration of BZC (C_BZC/C_Lys < 9) and a combined quenching process at higher concentration of BZC (C_BZC/C_Lys > 9) at pH 7.4 and 8.4. However, the fluorescence quenching was mainly arisen from static quenching by complex formation in all studied drug concentrations at pH 3.5. The structural characteristics of BZC and Lys were probed, and their binding affinities were determined under different pH conditions (pH 3.5, 7.4, and 8.4). The results indicated that the binding abilities of BZC to Lys decreased at the pH below and above the simulative physiological condition (pH 7.4) due to the alterations of the protein secondary and tertiary structures or the structural change of BZC. The effect of BZC on the conformation of Lys was analyzed using UV, synchronous fluorescence and three-dimensional fluorescence under different pH conditions. These results indicate that the binding of BZC to Lys causes apparent change in the secondary and tertiary structures of Lys. The effect of Zn²⁺ on the binding constant of BZC with Lys under various pH conditions (pH 3.5, 7.4, and 8.4) was also studied.     

Highly Efficient Nondoped OLEDs with Negligible Efficiency Roll‐Off Fabricated from Aggregation‐Induced Delayed Fluorescence Luminogens

Purely organic emitters that can efficiently utilize triplet excitons are highly desired to cut the cost of organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs), but most of them require complicated doping techniques for their fabrication and suffer from severe efficiency roll‐off. Herein, we developed novel luminogens with weak emission and negligible delayed fluorescence in solution but strong emission with prominent delayed components upon aggregate formation, giving rise to aggregation‐induced delayed fluorescence (AIDF). The concentration‐caused emission quenching and exciton annihilation are well‐suppressed, which leads to high emission efficiencies and efficient exciton utilization in neat films. Their nondoped OLEDs provide excellent electroluminescence efficiencies of 59.1 cd A⁻¹, 65.7 lm W⁻¹, and 18.4 %, and a negligible current efficiency roll‐off of 1.2 % at 1000 cd m⁻². Exploring AIDF luminogens for the construction of nondoped OLEDs could be a promising strategy to advance device efficiency and stability.     

Interaction of an antituberculosis drug with nano-sized cationic micelle: Förster resonance energy transfer from dansyl to rifampicin in the microenvironment

In this contribution, we report studies on the interaction of an antituberculosis drug rifampicin (RF) in a macromolecular assembly of CTAB with an extrinsic fluorescent probe, dansyl chloride (DC). The absorption spectrum of the drug RF has been employed to study Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from DC, bound to the CTAB micelle using picosecond resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. We have applied a kinetic model developed by Tachiya to understand the kinetics of energy transfer and the distribution of acceptor (RF) molecules around the donor (DC) molecules in the micellar surface with increasing quencher concentration. The mean number of RF molecules associated with the micelle increases from 0.24 at 20 μm RF concentration to 1.5 at 190 μm RF concentration and consequently the quenching rate constant (k_q) due to the acceptor (RF) molecules increases from 0.23 to 0.75 ns^?1 at 20 and 190 μm RF concentration, respectively. However, the mean number of the quencher molecule and the quenching rate constant does not change significantly beyond a certain RF concentration (150 μm ), which is consistent with the results obtained from time resolved FRET analysis. Moreover, we have explored the diffusion controlled FRET between DC and RF, using microfluidics setup, which reveals that the reaction pathway follows one‐step process.     

Polyelectrolyte effects on the quenching of pyrene fluorescence in solutions of a pyrene substituted poly(acrylic acid)

The quenching of pyrene fluorescence by nitromethane, Tl⁺, Cu²⁺, I^?, and 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) in aqueous solutions of a pyrene substituted poly(acrylic acid) ( 1 ) was influenced by the “polyelectrolyte effect” of 1 . The efficiency of quenching in solutions of 1 was measured in terms of the Stern–Volmer constants for dynamic and static quenching which were obtained from comparison of the intensity and lifetime of pyrene fluorescence in solutions of 1 and a monomer model compound. The efficiency of quenching in solutions of 1 was always greater at high pH ( 9 ) in comparison to that at low pH ( 4 ). The ionization of carboxylic groups in 1 caused an expansion of the polymer mainchain and concomitant exposure of the pyrene molecules to the aqueous phase and quencher. The polyanion domain of 1 favored the condensation of cationic quenchers and could account for very efficient quenching in case of Cu²⁺ and Tl⁺. A very efficient quenching of pyrene fluorescence in solutions of 1 by DMAP at high pH was attributed to the hydrophobic interactions of DMAP and pyrene moiety. The iodide ions were less efficient quenchers of pyrene fluorescence due to electrostatic repulsion from the polyanion. The efficiency of quenching by nitromethane was not significantly affected by ionization of the carboxylic groups in 1 .     

Complete suppression of the fluorophore fluorescence by combined effect of multiple fluorescence quenching groups: A fluorescent sensor for Cu with zero background signals

The reaction-based fluorescent sensors have attracted increasing attention in the past decades. However, the application of these sensors for accurate sensing was significantly retarded by the background fluorescence from the sensors themselves. In this work, we demonstrated a novel strategy that the background fluorescence of the sensor could be completely eliminated by the combined effect of multiple fluorescence quenching groups. Based on this new strategy, as proof-of-principle study, a fluorescent sensor (CuFS) for Cu²⁺ was judiciously developed. In CuFS, three types of fluorescence quenching groups were directly tethered to a commonly used coumarin fluorophore. The fluorescence of coumarin fluorophore in CuFS was completely suppressed by the combined effect of these fluorescence quenching groups. Upon treatment with 22 μM Cu²⁺, sensor CuFS achieved a dramatic fluorescence enhancement (fluorescence intensity enhanced up to 811-fold) centered at 469 nm. The detection limits was determined to be 12.3 nM. The fluorescence intensity enhancement also showed a good linearity with the Cu²⁺ concentration in the range of 12.3 nM to 2 μM. By fabricating test strips, sensor CuFS can be utilized as a simple tool to detect Cu²⁺ in water samples. Furthermore, the fluorescent sensor was successfully applied in detecting different concentration of Cu²⁺ in living cells.     

Effect of silver nanoparticles concentration on the metal enhancement and quenching of ciprofloxacin fluorescence intensity

Concentration effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the photophysical properties of ciprofloxacin (Cip) have been investigated using optical absorption and fluorescence techniques. When performed AgNPs solution was added to the Cip solution, metal-enhanced fluorescence intensity and a blue-shift of 20 nm in the maximum emission spectra of Cip has been observed. The enhanced intensity of this system is strongly dependent on the AgNPs concentration and largest at the 6.0 × 10^?6 mol L^?1. With increase of AgNPs concentration, quenching of fluorescence is observed. Stern–Volmer quenching constants have been calculated at four temperatures. The results show the quenching constants are directly correlated with temperature. It indicates the quenching mechanism is the dynamic quenching in nature rather than static quenching. From which we determined the activation energy for the quenching of Cip-AgNPs to be about 31.1 kJ mol^?1. In addition, in the presence of optimum AgNPs concentration, a sensitive fluorimetric method for the determination of ciprofloxacin at the range 5.0 × 10^?7–3.0 × 10^?5 mol L^?1 and the detection limit of 2 × 10^?8 mol L^?1 in solution is proposed.     

Determination of L‐Cystine by a New Sensitive Cucurbit[7]uril/palmatine Probe

In the presence of cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]), the CB[7] could react with palmatine, which served as a sensitive fluorescence probe, to form host‐guest stable complexes and the fluorescence intensity of the complexes was greatly enhanced. The fluorescence intensity decreased linearly with an increasing number of L‐cystine in the inclusion system. The experimental results show that there exists a competition between L‐cystine and palmatine for the CB[7] hydrophobic cavity and L‐cystine occupies the space of CB[7] cavity, leading palmatine molecules to be forced to reside in the aqueous environment. Based on the fluorescence quenching of the CB[7]/palmatine complexes resulting from complex formation between CB[7] and L‐cystine, a spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of L‐cystine in aqueous solution in the presence of CB[7] was developed. The linear relationship between the corresponding values of the fluorescence quenching ΔF and L‐cystine concentration was obtained in the range of 6.0 to 1.5×10³ ng·mL^?1, with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9996. The detection limit was 2.0 ng·mL^?1. The application of the present method to the determination of L‐cystine in tablets gave satisfactory results. This paper also discussed the mechanism of the fluorescence indicator probe.     

铱(IV)离子与人血丙种球蛋白的作用研究

在0.1 mol•L^－1醋酸-醋酸钠(pH 5.0)体系中, 采用紫外吸收光谱、荧光光谱及同步荧光光谱法研究了人血丙种球蛋白(gamma seroglobulinum humanum, 简称GSH)与铱(IV)离子的相互作用. 结果表明, Ir(IV)离子使人血丙种球蛋白的构象发生了改变, α-螺旋含量减少, 并且用同步荧光光谱发现Ir(IV)离子与人血丙种球蛋白的作用位点更接近于色氨酸, 从而使色氨酸残基的疏水性略有减小. 荧光光谱结果表明Ir(IV)对人血丙种球蛋白内源荧光(342 nm)产生了较强的荧光猝灭作用, 根据不同温度下Ir(IV)对人血丙种球蛋白的荧光猝灭作用, 证明了这种荧光猝灭为静态猝灭机制, 计算了其结合常数和结合位点数, 从而得出了静电作用力为其主要的作用力.