Dihydroxy-Substituted Coumarins as Fluorescent Probes for Nanomolar-Level Detection of the 4-Amino-TEMPO Spin Label

Abstract

This paper reports on dihydroxycoumarins as fluorescent probes suitable for the detection and determination of the nitroxide radical, namely 4-amino-TEMPO. Since 4-amino-TEMPO is used as a spin label for the detection of various radicals and damage caused by these species, its determination under physiological conditions might help us to understand the mechanism of the oxidative stress. Among different coumarins studied, only dihydroxy-substituted derivatives show high sensitivity, specificity, and selectivity for the nitroxide radical. In this assay, dihydroxy-substituted coumarins under the action of 4-amino-TEMPO show a very fast and significant increase in fluorescence intensity and lifetime. Among them 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin (esculetin) exhibits the strongest fluorescence enhancement (up to 40 times), with an estimated limit of detection equal to 16.7 nM—a significantly lower value when compared with UV-Vis or electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The method is characterized by an easy procedure of sample preparation and very short time of analysis. The mechanism of the interaction between 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin and 4-amino-TEMPO has been examined with the use of a series of complementary techniques, such as steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, potentiometric titration, and high-performance liquid chromatography. It has been proven that the only route of the reaction in the system studied is a proton transfer from the molecule of esculetin to the amino group of the nitroxide. Biological studies performed on prostate cancer cells, breast cancer cells, and normal skin fibroblasts revealed significant anticancer properties of 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin, which caused a considerable decrease in the viability and number of cancer cells, and affected their morphology, contrary to normal fibroblasts. Furthermore, the experiment performed on prostate cancer cells showed that fluorescence emission of esculetin is closely related to intracellular pH—the higher pH, the higher observed fluorescence intensity (in accordance with a chemical experiment). On the other hand, the studies performed in different pH levels revealed that when pH of the solution increases, the observed fluorescence intensity enhancement under the action of 4-amino-TEMPO decreases (better sensing properties of esculetin towards the nitroxide in lower pH).

Fluorescence Quenching Studies on the Interactions between Chosen Fluoroquinolones and Selected Stable TEMPO and PROXYL Nitroxides

“…Furthermore, profluorescent nitroxides have been previously reported as probes for the detection of free radicals, as well as damage mediated by these species, for example acute pancreatitis and chronic splanchnic ischemia [ 9 ]. A variety of TEMPO and PROXYL analogues is also used as—among others—spin labels [ 10 , 11 ], radical scavengers [ 12 ], lipid oxidants [ 13 ], polymerization inhibitors [ 14 ], candidates for development as antiarrhythmic preventive drugs [ 15 , 16 ] or catalysts for chemical oxidation of alcohols [ 17 ]. The studies performed with the participation of these stable paramagnetic intermediates are known to result in some important phenomena, such as the quenching of photoexcited molecules [ 18 ] or formation of singlet oxygen [ 19 ].…”

A Pentapeptide with Tyrosine Moiety as Fluorescent Chemosensor for Selective Nanomolar-Level Detection of Copper(II) Ions

“…The limit of quantification (LOQ) was evaluated as the lowest point of a linear calibration plot (the plot of F 0 /F as a function of the concentration of Cu 2+ ions) obtained with precision of <10% RSD and accuracy between 90 and 110%, while limit of detection (LOD) was estimated as LOQ divided by three [55].…”

Beiß mich nicht Ich leuchte

“…Aesculetin absorbiert mit einem relativen Maximum bei λ = 350 nm und emittiert mit einem Maximum bei λ = 467 nm – das Glukosid absorbiert bei λ = 337,5 nm und emittiert bei λ = 414 nm ; beide Substanzen erscheinen entsprechend blau. Fraxetin – das Aglykon des in der Esche vorliegenden Fraxins – absorbiert bei λ = 380 nm und emittiert bei λ = 517 nm ; die wahrgenommene Farbe liegt daher im gelbgrünen Bereich.…”