title: Assembly of a Highly Stable Luminescent Zn5 Cluster and Application to Bio-Imaging.
abstract: The assembly sequence of the coordination cluster [Zn5 (H2 L(n) )6 ](NO3 )4 ]⋅8 H2 O⋅2 CH3 OH (Zn5 , H3 L(n) =(1,2-bis(benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)-ethenol) involves in situ dehydration of 1,2-bis(benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)-1,2-ethanediol (H4 L) through the formation of the [Zn(H3 L)2 ](+) monomer, dimerization to [Zn2 (H3 L)2 ](+) , dehydration of the ligand to [Zn2 (H2 L(n) )2 ](+) , and the final formation of the pentanuclear cluster. The cluster has the following special characteristics: 1) high stability in both refluxing 37 % HCl and 27 % NH3 , 2) low cytotoxicity, and 3) pH-sensitive fluorescence in the visible-to-near-infrared (Vis/NIR) region in the solid state and in solution. We have applied it as a fluorescent probe both in vivo and in vitro. Its H-bonding ability is the key to its affinity and selectivity for imaging lysosomes in HeLa cells and tumors in male BALB/C mice. It provides a new type of sensitive and biocompatible fluorescent probe for detecting small tumors (13.5 mm(3) ).
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, P.R. China. zmh@mailbox.gxnu.edu.cn.|College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, P.R. China. zmh@mailbox.gxnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Ming-Hua
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi'an, 710021, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ze-Hui
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, P.R. China.|College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hai-Bing
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, P.R. China.|College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ying-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, P.R. China.|College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yue-Qiao
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, P.R. China.|College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Li-Xian
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, P.R. China.|College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yue-Xing
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, P.R. China. huangjin@ecust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Institut de Chimie de Strasbourg, CNRS-UMR 7177, Université de Strasbourg, 4 rue Blaise Pascal, 67070, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Mohamedally
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurmoo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D056831:Coordination Complexes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D015032:Zinc / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D056831:Coordination Complexes; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D015032:Zinc
keywords: 3d-metal coordination cluster; Zn clusters; bio-imaging; fluorescence probes; pH sensitivity