Organotin Dyes Bearing Anionic Boron Clusters as Cell-Staining Fluorescent Probes

Area of Science:

• Organometallic Chemistry
• Cell Biology
• Bioimaging

Background:

• Ribosomal RNA synthesis occurs in nucleoli, essential for understanding cellular processes.
• Specific markers are required for visualizing nucleoli and related cellular functions.
• Organotin compounds offer potential as fluorescent probes for biological applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize novel fluorescent organotin compounds.
• To evaluate their luminescence properties and solubility.
• To assess their potential for cytoplasm and nucleoli staining in B16F10 cells for in vitro bioimaging.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of organotin compounds derived from 4-hydroxy-N'-((2-hydroxynaphthalen-1-yl)methylene)benzohydrazide.
• Derivatization with boron cluster anions [B12H12]2- and [3,3'-Co(1,2-C2B9H11)2]- (COSAN).
• Characterization of conjugates, assessment of luminescence, and in vitro cell staining experiments.

Main Results:

• Synthesized organotin compounds exhibited good quantum yields (24-49%) in solution.
• Linking boron clusters improved compound solubility without significantly impacting luminescence.
• Compounds with [B12H12]2- showed strong nucleoli and cytoplasm staining; COSAN derivatives stained only the cytoplasm.
• Aliphatic chain compounds showed reduced staining due to aggregation.

Conclusions:

• Novel organotin compounds with boron clusters demonstrate effective fluorescence staining of cellular compartments.
• Organotin compounds bearing [B12H12]2- are promising for nucleoli and cytoplasm visualization in vitro.
• These compounds represent valuable tools for fluorescence bioimaging applications.