Detection of biologically important analytes with fluorescent molecules

Abstract

Small-molecular fluorescent probes are increasingly promising in modern aspects of the scientific fields such as chemistry, biology, materials science, biomedical fields, and interfacing fields. These probes are used extensively for biological cellular imaging

they are simple, easy to operate, respond rapidly and are non-invasive. The development of detection techniques that are selective, sensitive, and rapid in response are necessary and may take on a multitude of different molecular designs. Thus, molecular-level probes have showed great promise during the last decade in the detection of biological analytes such as reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) including superoxide ($O_2^{\cdot-}), hypochlorite ($OCl^-$), hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$), hydroxyl radical ($^\dotOH$), peroxynitrite ($ONOO^-$), and nitric oxide (NO), as well as biothiols such as cysteine (Cys), homocysteine (Hcy) and glutathione (GSH) in living biological systems. These biological species are thought to play important roles for normal physiological processes

an overproduction or deficiency of them can be indicative of cancer, neurodegenerative disease disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease etc. Herein, the details of the synthesis, screening, and biological studies and general application of small molecular probes will be discussed in this thesis. In chapter 1, the comprehensive introduction of fluorescence and bio-analytes are explained. In chapter Ⅱ, the probes for the selective detection of biothiols are presented as a priority. As a strategy for the detection of biothiols, the phenylselenium, propionate and acrylate groups were exploited. In chapter 3, the oxidative property of selenium was used for the selective detection of hypochlorite over other ROS. For research efforts regarding selective RNS sensing, the phosphinate group was employed

it can be cleaved under the reaction with peroxynitrite.