Department of Chemistry, Center for Drug Design and Advanced Biotechnology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
Abstract:
Intracellular calcium concentration in biological cells varies from 0.1 to 10 μM depending upon cell signaling and disease states. A direct estimate of calcium concentration in cell tissues within this range is possible with a novel calcium-selective reagent 15C5-774. The molecule of 15C5-774 consists of a near-infrared (NIR) chromophore (λmax=774 nm) and a metal complexing moiety of benzo-15-crown-5. The reagent shows a strong calcium binding affinity in a 1:1 ratio and metal selectivity in the order Ca2+>Mg2+>Sr2+≈K+≈Na+>Zn2+>Li+. The high sensitivity is achieved by conducting absorption measurements in the NIR region where background interference from the biological matrix is low.