title: A versatile near-infrared asymmetric tricarbocyanine for zinc ion sensing in water.
abstract: We have synthesized a near-infrared emissive asymmetric tricarbocyanine conveniently functionalized to improve bioconjugation. The leading structure contains a versatile derivatization point at the meso position for facile radical-nucleophilic aromatic substitution. We have evaluated a DPEN (N,N-di(2-picolyl)ethylendiamine) derivative of this dye as a highly selective sensor for zinc (II) in aqueous medium, which performs in an appropriate sensitivity range for biological studies. The probe was successfully conjugated to a protein-ligand model with high affinity and specificity (biotin-streptavidin technology) rendering an excellent performance of sensing. In a general strategy to obtain sensitive probes combining fluorescent nanoparticles and molecular fluorophores, a preliminary design of a supramolecular assembly derived from the conjugation of the molecular sensor to quantum dots (QDs) was also investigated. The advantages and problems of FRET-based sensors are also discussed.
authors: CIHIDECAR-CONICET, Dpto. de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Guillermo O
authors: GO
authors: Menéndez
authors: Cecilia Samaniego
authors: CS
authors: López
authors: Elizabeth A
authors: EA
authors: Jares-Erijman
authors: Carla C
authors: CC
authors: Spagnuolo
mesh_terms: D002232:Carbocyanines / Q000737:chemistry*; D066241:Carbon-13 Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; D066244:Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D015032:Zinc / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D002232:Carbocyanines; D014867:Water; D015032:Zinc