Abstract
In this paper, we report a novel pH fluorescent probe, 1,1-dimethyl-2-((E)-2-(pyridin-4-yl)vinyl)-1H-benzo[e]indole (PVBI), for imaging in living cells via ethylene bridging of indole derivatives and pyridine. The pH titration indicated that the probe exhibits sensitive pH-dependent behavior with pKa 3.87 and responded linearly and rapidly to minor pH fluctuations within the range of 3.0-4.6 (linear coefficient of 0.9968). Thus PVBI could be potentially useful for quantitative determination of pH within the acidic window. Also, PVBI displays a notably large Stokes shift of 93 nm which could effectively reduce the excitation interference. Moreover, PVBI possesses highly selective response to H+ over various metal ions, good photostability and excellent reversibility. The confocal laser scanning microscope images for PVBI diffusing into cells in real-time and detection of pH in living cells were achieved successfully, suggesting the probe has excellent cell membrane permeability and could be applied to monitor pH fluctuations in living cells.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 224-231 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Dyes and Pigments |
| Volume | 126 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2016 |
User-Defined Keywords
- Cellular imaging
- Confocal laser scanning microscope
- Extreme acidity
- Indocyanine
- Membrane permeability
- pH fluorescent probe