A rhodamine-based "turn-on" fluorescent probe for Fe3+ in aqueous solution

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Iron(III) (Fe(3+)) is crucial in biological systems but its dysregulation is linked to diseases.
• Sensing Fe(3+) in biological environments requires selective and sensitive probes.
• Existing probes often face limitations in aqueous media and cell permeability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a novel water-soluble fluorescent probe for Fe(3+) detection.
• To evaluate the probe's selectivity, sensitivity, and response mechanism.
• To assess the probe's utility for intracellular Fe(3+) imaging in living cells.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a rhodamine B-based fluorescent probe (RD1).
• Spectroscopic analysis (fluorescence and colorimetric) for Fe(3+) detection.
• Cell culture and confocal microscopy for bioimaging studies.

Main Results:

• RD1 exhibited a "turn-on" fluorescent and colorimetric response to Fe(3+) with high selectivity.
• The probe demonstrated excellent performance in aqueous solutions with minimal organic co-solvent.
• RD1 was found to be cell-permeable and effectively visualized intracellular Fe(3+) in living cells with low cytotoxicity.

Conclusions:

• The developed RD1 probe is a sensitive and selective tool for Fe(3+) detection in aqueous media.
• RD1 enables real-time monitoring of intracellular Fe(3+) in live cells, offering potential for disease diagnostics.
• This probe represents a valuable advancement in fluorescent sensing for biological applications.