Aza-BODIPY dyes mostly have been used in the application of photodynamic therapy, and their utilization as fluorescence sensors is rare due to the difficulty in synthesis, particularly of hydrophilic derivatives. We have overcome these issues to design new probes with absorption and fluorescence responses in near-infrared region. We have explored two new near-infrared (NIR) Cu2+-fluorescence sensors based on aza-boron-dipyrromethene (aza-BODIPY) dyes connected to di-2-picolylamine and phenyl isothiocyanate. Under aqueous conditions, these probes exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity for Cu2+ over other alkali, alkaline earth and transition metal ions, such as Cu2+, Hg2+, Pb2+, Ag+, Zn2+, Ba2+, Ca2+, Co2+, Fe3+, Mn2+, Na+, Ni2+, K+, Mg2+, Fe2+, Cd2+, Al3+ and Cr3+. Their detection limits were much lower than that permitted in drinking water by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, these sensors were shown to be appropriate for fluorescence imaging of Cu2+ sensing in HepG-2 cells.

Near-infrared aza-BODIPY fluorescence probes for selective Cu2+ detection and their potential in living cell imaging

255th National Meeting (2018)

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