title: Towards understanding the design of dual-modal MR/fluorescent probes to sense zinc ions.
abstract: A series of gadolinium complexes were synthesised in order to test the design of dual-modal probes that display a change in fluorescence or relaxivity response upon binding of zinc. A dansyl-DO3ATA gadolinium complex [GdL1] displayed an increase and a slight blue-shift in fluorescence in the presence of zinc; however, a decrease in relaxation rate was observed. Consequently, the ability of the well-known zinc chelator, BPEN, was assessed for relaxivity response when conjugated to the gadolinium chelate. The success of this probe [GdL2], lead to the inclusion of the same zinc-probing moiety alongside a longer wavelength emitting fluorophore, rhodamine [GdL3], to arrive at the final iteration of these first generation dual-modal zinc-sensing probes. The compounds give insight into the design protocols required for the successful imaging of zinc ions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK. n.long@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rivas
authors.forename: Graeme J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Stasiuk
authors.forename: Myra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sae-Heng
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Long
mesh_terms: D015195:Drug Design; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D005682:Gadolinium / Q000737:chemistry*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D015032:Zinc / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D005682:Gadolinium; D015032:Zinc