Tracking mitochondrial pH fluctuation during cell apoptosis with two-photon phosphorescent iridium(iii) complexes

Area of Science:

• Inorganic Chemistry
• Cell Biology
• Biophysical Chemistry

Background:

• Mitochondrial pH is a critical indicator of cellular health and apoptosis.
• Tracking real-time pH fluctuations in mitochondria during apoptosis is challenging.
• Developing sensitive and specific probes for mitochondrial pH is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel iridium(iii) complexes for sensing mitochondrial pH.
• To investigate the potential of these complexes as fluorescent probes for apoptosis.
• To establish a correlation between the complexes' emission intensity and pH variations.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of two iridium(iii) complexes featuring morpholine-containing ligands.
• Spectroscopic characterization of the iridium(iii) complexes.
• In vitro experiments measuring the emissive intensity of the complexes at varying pH levels.
• Cellular assays to track mitochondrial pH changes during apoptosis.

Main Results:

• The synthesized iridium(iii) complexes exhibited pH-dependent fluorescence.
• Emissive intensity of the complexes showed a linear increase with increasing pH.
• The probes successfully monitored mitochondrial pH fluctuations during induced apoptosis in cells.

Conclusions:

• Iridium(iii) complexes with morpholine ligands are effective fluorescent probes for mitochondrial pH.
• These probes offer a reliable method for tracking pH dynamics during apoptosis.
• The developed probes have potential applications in cell biology and disease diagnostics.