Abstract
A new fluorescent Zn2+ chemosensor (P1) based on a functionalized porphyrin was synthesized and characterized. P1 displayed dramatic ratiometric variations in absorption and fluorescent emission spectra upon exposure to Zn2+ due to the formation of a 1:1 Zn2+/P1 complex. The sensor also exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity toward Zn2+ over other common metal ions in the physiological pH range with a detection limit of 1.8 μM. The sensor showed fast response times and excellent reproducibility, thus confirming its potential applicability as a fluorescent sensor for Zn2+ sensing.
Highlights
Zinc ions (Zn2+), the second most abundant transition-metal ions in the human body, play diverse roles in biological processes, such as gene expression, metalloenzyme function, and neurotransmission [1,2,3].Though zinc is a relatively nontoxic element, it can be toxic if consumed in large enough quantities.For example, zinc is a metal pollutant of environment, significant concentrations of which may reduce the soil microbial activity causing phytotoxic effects and it is a common contaminant in agricultural and food wastes
Several studies have reported the Sensors 2013, 13 successful application of fluorescent sensors based on quinoline [6,7], fluorescein [8,9], coumarin [10], indole [11], naphthalimide [12], and peptides [13] in the detection of Zn2+
The absorption spectrum of P1 displayed the characteristic transitions of porphyrin with an intense Soret band at 422 nm and four weak Q-bands at 519, 555, 594, and 650 nm (see Figure 1(a))
Summary
Zinc ions (Zn2+), the second most abundant transition-metal ions in the human body, play diverse roles in biological processes, such as gene expression, metalloenzyme function, and neurotransmission [1,2,3]. Among various fluorescent sensors currently available, porphyrin and its derivatives are the first class of probes to be developed for Zn2+. These organic compounds exhibit good photostability, high absorption coefficients in the region from 400 nm to 450 nm (visible range), large Stokes shifts that minimize the effects of background fluorescence, and appreciable changes in spectral shift upon ligand binding [14,15,16,17]. We report a novel ratiometric fluorescent probe P1 for Zn2+ based on a porphyrin derivative (see Scheme 1). To achieve the requirement of high selectivity toward Zn2+, a strong chelator bearing three nitrogen atoms was incorporated into the porphyrin.
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