A quick accelerating microwave-assisted sustainable technique: permutated spiro-casing for imaging experiment

Area of Science:

• Organic Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biomedical Science

Background:

• Spiro-compounds are valuable scaffolds in medicinal chemistry.
• Developing selective and sensitive probes for metal ions is crucial for biological studies.
• Efficient and sustainable synthesis methods are needed for complex organic molecules.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid, chromatography-free synthesis of dihydrospiro[indeno[1,2-b]pyridine] spiro-analogues.
• To design these spiro-compounds as fluorescent probes for selective zinc ion (Zn²⁺) detection.
• To evaluate their utility for intracellular Zn²⁺ imaging in cancer cells.

Main Methods:

• One-pot, microwave-assisted synthesis in aqueous ethanol.
• Chromatography-free purification.
• Fluorescence spectroscopy for metal ion detection.
• Confocal microscopy for intracellular imaging.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of diversified spiro-analogues under sustainable conditions.
• Selective detection of Zn²⁺ with fluorescent enhancement in the presence of competing ions.
• Demonstrated cell permeability and effective intracellular Zn²⁺ imaging in HepG2 cells.

Conclusions:

• A novel, efficient, and sustainable method for spiro-compound synthesis.
• The synthesized spiro-compounds function as effective fluorescent probes for Zn²⁺.
• Potential application in biomedical research for cellular Zn²⁺ monitoring.