Rational Design of Ratiometric Near-Infrared Fluorescent pH Probes with Various pKa Values, Based on Aminocyanine
摘要:
Novel ratiometric, near-infrared fluorescent pH probes with various pK(a) values have been designed and synthesized on the basis of aminocyanine bearing a diamine moiety, and their photochemical properties were evaluated. Under acidic conditions, these pH probes showed a 46- to 83-nm red shift of the absorption maximum. This change is sufficiently large to permit their use as ratiometric pH probes, and is reversible, whereas monoamine-substituted aminocyanines showed irreversible changes because of their instability under acidic conditions. Furthermore, the pK(a) values of these probes can be predicted from the calculated pK(a) values of the diamine moieties, obtained from the SciFinder database. This design strategy is very simple and flexible, and should be applicable to develop NIR pH probes for various applications.
A compound represented by the following general formula (I):
[wherein R
1
and R
2
represent a C
1-6
alkyl group; R
3
, R
4
and R
5
represent hydrogen atom, a C
1-6
alkyl group, or an aryl group; Y
1
and Y
2
represent —O—, —S—, —Se—, —CH═CH—, —C(R
6
)(R
7
)—, or —N(R
8
)— (wherein R
6
, R
7
and R
8
represent hydrogen atom or a C
1-6
alkyl group); A represents a C
1-3
alkylene group; n and n′ represent 0, 1 or 2; Z
1
and Z
2
represent a nonmetallic atom group required to form a benzo-condensed ring or a naphtho-condensed ring; L
1
to L
7
represent a methine group; and M
−
represents a counter ion in a number required for neutralizing electrical charge], which is useful as a fluorescent probe of which optical characteristics change depending on pH change.