A highly specific ferrocene-based fluorescent probe, (9-anthryl)ethenylferrocene, has been designed, synthesized and characterized for fluorescence imaging of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) in live cells. The design strategy for the probe is based on the strong quenching effect of electron-donor ferrocene on anthracene fluorescence via an intramolecular charge transfer process, and is accomplished through constructing the conjugated molecule by using a cleavable double bond as a linker. The double bond in the probe reacts selectively with HOCl rather than the other reactive oxygen species (e.g., *OH, *O(2)(-), (1)O(2), and H(2)O(2)) in pH 7.4, accompanied by more than 100-fold fluorescence enhancement. Moreover, the probe is cell membrane permeable, and its applicability has been successfully demonstrated for fluorescence imaging of HOCl in HeLa cells.
Small organic matrixes are still the most commonly used ones in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) because of their advantages of high sensitivity, convenience, and cost-effectiveness. However, due to the matrix interference in the low mass region, the direct analysis of low molecular weight amines in complex surroundings with conventional organic matrixes remains a challenge. Here, a new Brønsted-Lowry acid compound 2,3,4,5-tetrakis(3',4'-dihydroxylphenyl)thiophene (DHPT) was designed, synthesized, and applied as a matrix for analysis of low molecular weight amines by MALDI-TOF MS. DHPT displays good selectivity in the analysis of amines without matrix-related interference and the low picomole/femtomole limit-of-detection was obtained in positive ion mode. With DHPT, the metabolites including creatinine, glycine, alloxan, allantoin, and 3-hydroxyhippuric acid in human urine were directly analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. The identity of these metabolites was confirmed by tandem mass spectrometry. Furthermore, the urine creatinine was quantitatively determined using isotope-labeled internal standard. This DHPT-assisted LDI MS method provides a general approach for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of low molecular weight amines.
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