Fluorescent derivatives of the (129)Xe NMR contrast agent cryptophane-A were obtained by functionalization with near infrared fluorescent dyes DY680 and DY682. The resulting conjugates were spectrally characterized, and their interaction with giant and large unilamellar vesicles of varying phospholipid composition was analyzed by fluorescence and NMR spectroscopy. In the latter, a chemical exchange saturation transfer with hyperpolarized (129)Xe (Hyper-CEST) was used to obtain sufficient sensitivity. To determine the partitioning coefficients, we developed a method based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer from Nile Red to the membrane-bound conjugates. This indicated that not only the hydrophobicity of the conjugates, but also the phospholipid composition, largely determines the membrane incorporation. Thereby, partitioning into the liquid-crystalline phase of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine was most efficient. Fluorescence depth quenching and flip-flop assays suggest a perpendicular orientation of the conjugates to the membrane surface with negligible transversal diffusion, and that the fluorescent dyes reside in the interfacial area. The results serve as a basis to differentiate biomembranes by analyzing the Hyper-CEST signatures that are related to membrane fluidity, and pave the way for dissecting different contributions to the Hyper-CEST signal.

A series of activatable optical probes for the model enzyme penicillin G amidase based on intramolecular formation of non-fluorescent H-dimer between two identical dyes were synthesized. The probes are based on a self-immolative linker, which allows positioning both dyes in close spatial proximity to ensure efficient quenching of probes with absorption and fluorescence emission in the near-infrared (NIR) range. A detailed photophysical investigation of the novel optical probes led to a revision of a previously anticipated quenching mechanism and revealed their potential for optimizing the performance of activatable probes based on H-dimer formation. A kinetic analysis indicated that the fluorescence progress curves can be used to qualitatively extract enzyme kinetic parameters.