Subhankar Singha

In vivo two-photon fluorescent imaging of fluoride with a desilylation-based reactive probe

A two-photon excitable molecular probe for fluoride, developed based on a fluoride-specific desilylation reaction, is demonstrated to be useful for fluorescent imaging of fluoride ions in live zebrafish by one-photon as well as two-photon microscopy for the first time.

Two-Photon Absorbing Dyes with Minimal Autofluorescence in Tissue Imaging: Application to in Vivo Imaging of Amyloid-β Plaques with a Negligible Background Signal

Fluorescence imaging of tissues offer an essential means for studying biological systems. Autofluorescence becomes a serious issue in tissue imaging under excitation at UV-vis wavelengths where biological molecules compete with the fluorophore. To address this critical issue, a novel class of fluorophores that can be excited at ∼900 nm under two-photon excitation conditions and emits in the red wavelength region (≥600 nm) has been disclosed. The new π-extended dipolar dye system shows several advantageous features including minimal autofluorescence in tissue imaging and pronounced solvent-sensitive emission behavior, compared with a widely used two-photon absorbing dye, acedan. As an important application of the new dye system, one of the dyes was developed into a fluorescent probe for amyloid-β plaques, a key biomarker of Alzheimers disease. The probe enabled in vivo imaging of amyloid-β plaques in a disease-model mouse, with negligible background signal. The new dye system has great potential for the development of other types of two-photon fluorescent probes and tags for imaging of tissues with minimal autofluorescence.

Toward a selective, sensitive, fast-responsive, and biocompatible two-photon probe for hydrogen sulfide in live cells.

Hydrogen sulfide has emerged as an exciting endogenous gasotransmitter in addition to nitric oxide and carbon dioxide. Noninvasive detection methods for hydrogen sulfide thus become indispensable tools for studying its diverse roles in biological systems. Accordingly, fluorescent probes for hydrogen sulfide have received great attention in recent years. A practically useful fluorescent probe for bioimaging of hydrogen sulfide should be selective, sensitive, fast-responsive, biocompatible, observable in the biological optical window, and capable of deep-tissue imaging. These sensing properties, however, are extremely difficult to achieve at the same time. Disclosed here is the two-photon fluorescent probe that meets all of these criteria. The probe belongs to a Michael acceptor system, which raised a serious selectivity issue over the competing biothiols such as cysteine and glutathione. We have addressed the selectivity issue by optimizing the electronic and steric interactions between biothiols and the probe, in addition to achieving very high sensitivity, fast-response, and biocompatibility. Also, the sensing mechanism suggested in the literature was revised. The probe thus enables us to image the endogenously produced hydrogen sulfide with negligible interference from other biothiols in live cells. The excellent sensing properties of the probe combined with its capability of bioimaging thus make it a practically useful tool for further studying biological roles of hydrogen sulfide.

π-Expanded coumarins: synthesis, optical properties and applications

Coumarins fused with other aromatic units have recently emerged as a hot topic of research. Their synthesis is partly based on classical methodologies such as Pechmann reaction or Knoevenagel condensation, but it also sparked the discovery of completely new pathways. In very recent years so-called vertically expanded coumarins were synthesized, effectively expanding the portfolio of existing architectures. A subtle relationship exists between the structure of fused coumarins and their optical properties. Although absorption of UV-radiation and light is a unifying theme among these π-expanded coumarins, the fluorescence properties strongly depend on the structure. The mode of fusion, the type of additional ring and the presence of electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents all influence the photophysical parameters. Recent advances made it possible to modulate their absorption from 300 nm to 550 nm, resulting in new coumarins emitting orange light. This review serves as a guide through both synthesis strategies and structure–property relationship nuances. Strong intramolecular charge-transfer character made it possible to reach suitable values of two-photon absorption cross-section. Photophysical advantages of π-expanded coumarins have been already utilized in fluorescent probes and two-photon excited fluorescence microscopy.

Ratiometric Imaging of Tissue by Two-Photon Microscopy: Observation of a High Level of Formaldehyde around Mouse Intestinal Crypts

Ratiometric imaging by two-photon microscopy can offer a viable tool for the relative quantification of biological analytes inside tissue with minimal influence from environmental factors that affect fluorescence signal. We demonstrate the ratiometric imaging of formaldehyde at the suborgan level using a two-photon fluorescent probe, which involves pixel-to-pixel ratiometric data transformation. This study reveals for the first time a high level of formaldehyde around the crypts of mouse small intestine, implicating its possible protective role along with the released antimicrobials from the Paneth cells.

Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis Regulates Hydrogen Sulfide Production

Summary Decreased growth hormone (GH) and thyroid hormone (TH) signaling are associated with longevity and metabolic fitness. The mechanisms underlying these benefits are poorly understood, but may overlap with those of dietary restriction (DR), which imparts similar benefits. Recently we discovered that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is increased upon DR and plays an essential role in mediating DR benefits across evolutionary boundaries. Here we found increased hepatic H2S production in long-lived mouse strains of reduced GH and/or TH action, and in a cell-autonomous manner upon serum withdrawal in vitro. Negative regulation of hepatic H2S production by GH and TH was additive and occurred via distinct mechanisms, namely direct transcriptional repression of the H2S-producing enzyme cystathionine γ-lyase (CGL) by TH, and substrate-level control of H2S production by GH. Mice lacking CGL failed to downregulate systemic T4 metabolism and circulating IGF-1, revealing an essential role for H2S in the regulation of key longevity-associated hormones.

Detection of Ciprofloxacin in Urine through Sensitized Lanthanide Luminescence

Ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, is widely used for the treatment of bacterial infection in humans due to its broad antibacterial spectrum. An excessive use or overdose of ciprofloxacin on the other hand can cause several adverse effects not only to humans but also to microorganisms. Unabsorbed ciprofloxacin in the body is mostly excreted through urine and finally goes to the environment, providing a drug resistance pressure on bacteria. Hence a simple and efficient detection method of ciprofloxacin is necessary, which, for example, can be used to analyze ciprofloxacin content in urine. Although ciprofloxacin itself shows inherent fluorescence, direct fluorescent detection of ciprofloxacin in raw urine sample is difficult due to autofluorescence of urine by other components. Herein we report that a Tb(III) complex of DO3A (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7-triacetic acid) can be efficiently sensitized by ciprofloxacin to emit luminescence separately from the urine autofluorescence wavelength region. Tb-DO3A shows excellent sensitivity with a detection limit of three parts per billion in aqueous buffer solution. Further, Tb-DO3A is used to detect ciprofloxacin with high sensitivity and selectivity in a raw urine sample without any purification or separation procedures in the concentrations ranging from 1 µg·mL−1 to 50 µg·mL−1. The direct measurement of ciprofloxacin excreted in urine may be used to control overdose of the drug.

Two-photon absorbing 8-hydroxy-benzo[g]coumarins with giant Stokes shifts: an environment-insensitive dye platform for probing biomolecules

Fluorescent compounds with distinct photophysical properties are essential for the development of optical probes for chemical, biological, and environmental species, in addition to optoelectronic devices. In this context, we synthesized a series of 3-substituted-8-hydroxybenzo[g]coumarin derivatives and characterized their photophysical and cellular imaging properties. Being dipolar π-extended coumarin analogues, they have intramolecular charge-transfer character and good two-photon imaging capability, as shown for two selected dyes. Most of the dyes emit in a wavelength range of 530-580 nm in aqueous media and show large Stokes shifts as high as 197 nm. In spite of its dipolar nature, the 3-pyridinium-substituted derivative 5h notably shows insignificant solvatochromism as well as viscosity- and polarity-insensitive emission intensity, offering an ideal dye platform for probing biological targets. As a demonstration, we prepared an esterase probe based on it, which shows ratiometric sensing behavior.

Fluorescence Analysis: From Sensing to Imaging

Department of Chemistry, School of Molecular Science (BK21PLUS), Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), 77 Cheongam-Ro, Nam-Gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 37673, Republic of Korea Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Center for Converging Humanities, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-Ro, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Amrita Centre for Industrial Research and Innovation, Amrita School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore 64112, India School of Pharmacy, University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia