Intramolecular Charge Transfer-Induced Fluorescent Probe for the Sensitive Detection of Copper Tripeptide

Area of Science:

• * Materials Science
• * Analytical Chemistry
• * Biochemistry

Background:

• * Donor-acceptor fluorescent molecules are valuable for detecting copper ions (Cu2+).
• * Existing sensors can suffer from fluorescence quenching, reducing selectivity.
• * Development of selective and reversible fluorescent sensors for Cu2+ is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To design and synthesize novel fluorescent probes for selective Cu2+ detection.
• * To investigate the photophysical properties and sensing mechanism.
• * To evaluate the probes' performance in biological samples.

Main Methods:

• * Synthesis and characterization of novel fluorescent probes.
• * Density functional theory (DFT) calculations for electronic structure analysis.
• * Spectroscopic studies (absorption, fluorescence) and fluorometric titrations.
• * In vitro toxicity assessment using MTT assay.

Main Results:

• * Synthesized probes exhibit strong fluorescence due to intramolecular charge transfer (ICT).
• * Probes show high specificity for Cu2+ over other metal ions, with a
• turn-off
• fluorescence response.
• * Detection limit achieved at picomolar levels with excellent linearity.
• * Low toxicity confirmed by MTT assay.
• * Successful application in detecting Cu2+ in copper proteins.

Conclusions:

• * The developed fluorescent probes are highly selective and sensitive for Cu2+ detection.
• * The imidazopyridine-based probe is suitable for detecting Cu2+ in complex biological systems.
• * These probes offer a promising tool for biological and environmental monitoring.