New triarylamine-based far-red DNA stainers with high two-photon absorption properties

Area of Science:

• Organic Chemistry
• Biophysical Chemistry
• Molecular Imaging

Background:

• Vinyl-triphenylamines (TP) are a class of organic compounds.
• Two-photon absorption (2PA) is a photophysical process with applications in microscopy.
• Fluorescent probes are essential tools for biological imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel red-emitting vinyl-triphenylamine derivatives.
• To evaluate their two-photon absorption (2PA) properties.
• To assess their potential as fluorescent probes for DNA imaging.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of vinyl-triphenylamine derivatives.
• Spectroscopic characterization, including one- and two-photon absorption and emission.
• Evaluation of fluorescence properties upon binding to double-stranded DNA.
• Confocal microscopy imaging in biological samples.

Main Results:

• Synthesized TP compounds exhibit minimal fluorescence in solution.
• Upon binding to double-stranded DNA, TP compounds display strong red fluorescence.
• Both one- and two-photon excitation effectively induce red fluorescence.
• High-contrast imaging of nuclear DNA in cells was achieved.
• Derivatizable analogues were developed for bioconjugation.

Conclusions:

• Vinyl-triphenylamines are promising red fluorescent probes for DNA.
• Their application in one- and two-photon confocal microscopy allows for excellent nuclear DNA contrast.
• The development of derivatizable analogues expands their utility in biological research, including oligonucleotide bioconjugation.