Environment-sensitive fluorescent supramolecular nanofibers for imaging applications
Yanbin Cai1, Yang Shi, Huaimin Wang
1State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), ‡College of Pharmacy and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Nankai University , Tianjin 300071, P. R. China.
Analytical Chemistry
|January 29, 2014
Summary
Environment-sensitive fluorophores combined with peptides create supramolecular nanofibers. These nanofibers offer enhanced cellular uptake and fluorescence responses, enabling sensitive detection of copper ions and caspase-3 activity.
Area of Science:
- Supramolecular chemistry
- Biomaterials science
- Analytical chemistry
Background:
- Environment-sensitive fluorophores like 4-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD) can be integrated with peptides.
- Peptide-fluorophore conjugates can form self-assembling supramolecular nanofibers.
- These nanostructures exhibit tunable fluorescence properties and cellular interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize NBD-conjugated peptides capable of forming self-assembling nanofibers.
- To investigate the fluorescence response of these nanofibers to copper ions (Cu2+).
- To develop a fluorescence turn-on system for detecting caspase-3 activity.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of NBD-FFYEEGGH and NBD-FFFDEVDGGH peptides.
- Characterization of supramolecular nanofiber formation and properties.
- In vitro and cellular assays for Cu2+ detection and caspase-3 activity monitoring.
Main Results:
- NBD-FFYEEGGH formed brighter nanofibers than NBD-EEGGH, with specific Cu2+ binding causing fluorescence quenching.
- Self-assembling nanofibers showed enhanced Cu2+ detection capabilities.
- A caspase-3 cleavable peptide (DEVD) enabled a fluorescence turn-on system for enzyme detection.
Conclusions:
- Supramolecular nanofibers based on environment-sensitive fluorophores offer a versatile platform for analyte detection.
- Enhanced cellular uptake and tunable fluorescence responses are key advantages.
- This approach holds promise for developing novel biosensors for various analytes.
